Everything Will Be Alright
by marionettedoll95
Summary: When Hermione Granger interviewed Puddlemere United, she never expected for Harry Potter to ask her out. To make things worse, Harry's not the only one on the team eyeing her. Draco Malfoy wants her, but what about his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley? H/Hr!
1. Fire And The Thud

**A/N: New story! Although, I must warn you. CheshireCat85 and I are going to be a lot more busy so updates won't come as quickly. Enjoy!**

**Everything Will Be Alright**

Chapter One: Fire And The Thud

_The day after you stole my heart,  
Everything I touched told me it would be better shared with you._

– Arctic Monkeys, _Fire And The Thud_

Hermione Granger carefully placed her notepad and quill into her small bag as she made her way to the Quidditch pitch of the rising team, Puddlemere United. She was to interview the team about their recent fame. She tucked a wayward lock of hair behind her ear and pulled on her jacket tighter. She had no idea how people could practice when it was November. She showed her ID to the guard and he let her in, greeting her with a bright smile.

When she arrived at the pitch, the team was flying around. Ron Weasley, the Keeper, and Harry Potter, the star Seeker, were practicing dodging Bludgers and catching the Quaffle with the rest of the team. Harry had noticed her first. It was hard not to. No girl ever came into the Puddlemere pitch except for Ron's girlfriend, Luna Lovegood. The only reason was that more than half of the team was bachelors. Only Draco Malfoy and Ron had girlfriends.

Harry flew down, his hair more mussed up than usual because of the wind. He looked at her. She wasn't dressed how girls would usually dress nowadays. She was wearing a pair of loose jeans and a blouse with a white jacket pulled over it. Her hair was pulled into a neatly combed ponytail except for the curls that were too short to be clipped. Her shoes (which were thankfully not heels) were black Converse high-cuts. "Hey there," greeted Harry, flashing her a grin. "You must be—"

"Hermione Granger," interrupted Hermione, stretching her hand out. "I'll be interviewing you and your team for the _Daily Prophet_."

Harry took her hand and shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you," replied he. He watched as she expertly pulled out a pair of glasses and placed them on the bridge of her nose. And then she pulled out a small, spring notebook, a quill, and inkwell.

"Well, let's get started."

Harry called the rest of the members down.

"Did you finally get a girlfriend, Harry?" Ron asked teasingly, looking at how close he was standing to Hermione.

"Funny, Ron," said Harry, glaring at him and moving away from her.

Draco flew down, his green robes billowing around him and his blonde hair messy from the wind. He smoothed it back and looked at Hermione with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, well, well, who's this, Potter?"

"Hermione Granger," said Harry and Hermione. Harry flashed her a sheepish grin. Draco did a once-over her appreciatively and a smile came to his face. She was definitely someone he could have some fun with. Her clothes weren't very fitting, but he could tell that she had a great shape.

Hermione turned to Harry, "Well, let's get started on the interview."

The team members answered many questions easily, although Harry was the only one who had succeeded of getting numerous laughs out of her. Once the interview was over, Harry stayed behind, watching Hermione pack up. She carefully folded her glasses and placed them in a container in her bag. Then she placed her notebook and quill neatly into a proper position.

Hermione caught him looking and asked, "Shouldn't you be getting back to practice?" It was asked innocently and without malice.

"Yeah, but I should see you out first though," said Harry, not quite wanting to let her go for a reason he couldn't fathom.

She smiled at his gallantry. "Such a gentleman," said Hermione.

Harry blushed. "Not exactly," mumbled he, flashing a quick smile at her.

They walked to the gate in silence. Harry tried to stand as close to her as he was allowed. Once the walked out the gate, Hermione turned around. "Thank you," said she. "You should really get back to practice."

"Yeah," said Harry. There was a silence as neither of them moved from their spot.

"Well," said Hermione, breaking the awkward stillness. "I should get going." She turned on her heel, starting to leave, until—

"Wait!" Harry said, causing Hermione to turn back around and cast him a curious glance. "Er—well, I was just wondering if we could maybe get some coffee together?"

Hermione considered it for a while. "I'll check my schedule first, but if I can, I'll Owl you."

"O-okay," stuttered Harry as she flashed him a cute smile. "I guess I'll see you around then,"

"I'll see you around too, Mr. Potter," She bade formally.

"One last thing." Harry caught her hand, reveling the feel of her small, soft hand. "Please just call me Harry."

~*~*~

It had been a week since the interview. Hermione was currently in a coffee shop in Diagon Alley, lining up to buy her regular cappuccino coffee before returning to her dormitory in her university for studying. She had just finished buying her drink when another customer entered the shop. Suddenly, there was a push from behind her and her cappuccino slipped from her hands, spilling all over the floor.

"Bugger," muttered she furiously.

"Sorry about that," apologized a familiar voice.

She turned around and found Harry Potter standing behind her, looking embarrassed. "Oh, it's good to see you again," Hermione greeted cordially.

"Ah, it's you," said Harry, grinning. "I never did get that Owl of yours to see if you wanted to get that coffee with me."

"Oh!" exclaimed Hermione. "I knew I was forgetting something. I'm so sorry, but I'm still a bit too busy to go out." Hermione said sincerely.

Harry tried to think up another way he could talk to her. There was something different about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something about Hermione made him interested in her. "Well, at least let me buy you another drink since I spilled yours."

Hermione smiled at him gratefully. "I'd like that actually, but I'm already behind schedule as it is. This was the only break I could manage to squeeze out of my tight agenda."

Harry wasn't about to give up. "Another time then," persisted he.

She smiled up at him. "Sure, I'll just have to ask my teachers at the university if—"

"Wait, wait, wait, what d'you mean, 'university'?" Harry interjected, confused. Had he heard wrong? _Of course not_, he thought. _My hearing's perfectly fine._ But how old was this girl? Was she even old enough for her job at the _Daily Prophet_?

Hermione crossed her arms defensively, looking insulted. "I'm still in a university. Why? What did you think I was doing?"

Harry looked at her quizzically. "But what about your job at the _Daily Prophet_? Aren't you a journalist?"

Hermione sighed impatiently. "Honestly, it's just a part-time job! I need the money to pay for my tuition. I promised to help pay half of it while my parents pay the other half."

"Hang on, so you're _still_ studying?"

Hermione bristled. "Well, since you clearly have something against me being a university student and don't have time for university students such as myself, perhaps we can just forget about the coffee." She glanced down ruefully at her spilt coffee. "I wasn't quite in the mood for a hot cappuccino anyway."

She pushed pass him, bumping his shoulder against hers roughly. Harry was still in shock when he turned around and asked, "Hermione?" But she was already crossing the street.

"What happened to you, Harry?" Ron asked, coming over to him and giving away their saved table. "It's been ten minutes and we still don't have our coffee."

"Looks as if someone stuck something up his arse," Draco snickered, watching Harry stare out at the busy street.

"You're humor cracks me up, Malfoy," Harry said acidly, turning to glare at the blonde.

"Well, looks like someone got a bit of sour milk in their coffee," Ron said, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry. Look, let's just get to practice already. Our break's probably over." Harry said gruffly. He pushed past Ron and Draco, shoving thoughts about Hermione Granger out of his head.

~*~*~

Hermione was desperately trying to concentrate on her teacher's lesson, but it was no use. How could she be a teacher if she couldn't concentrate? She'd never be able to teach at Hogwarts now.

_It's all bloody Harry Potter's fault_, she thought, infuriated at the mere thought of him. She couldn't help but feel extremely irritated at his behavior towards her being a university student.

" . . . visitor, Miss Granger."

Hermione snapped her attention back to the teacher. "I beg your pardon?" She asked, fully aware that everyone in the classroom was staring at her.

"I said that you have a visitor, Ms. Granger," replied the professor quite tetchily. Hermione quietly apologized while making her way outside of the classroom.

She would've been expecting anyone except for the person that was actually in front of her. Anyone would have done, her dead grandfather would even be more expected than Harry Potter.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed.

"What? What the hell are you _doing _here?" Hermione demanded, shushing her voice down.

"I needed to talk to you," said Harry simply, as if this explained everything.

"You could have waited! I'm in the middle of class, you—you—!" Hermione couldn't even say what she wanted to say to him. Oh, how badly she wanted him to leave. But the look in his eyes made her think otherwise.

"I'm sorry about what I said," said Harry sounding sincere, "in the coffee shop."

Hermione sighed tiredly and turned back to her classroom. "Apology accepted. Look, I have to get back to class—"

Harry wasn't going to let her go that easily. He quickly caught her forearm, making her look into his eyes. "Can we at least meet up in the university café?"

Hermione regarded him cautiously. "I don't know—"

"Please, Hermione?"

She thought about it carefully and then released a heavy sigh. "Meet me there at three twenty. And choose a corner table."

~*~*~

Harry sat patiently in the corner booth of the University of Magical Teaching of the campus café. He had already ordered a cup of coffee and was watching several people pass by and gawk at him. He had tried to dress inconspicuously in a white, long-sleeved, hooded shirt, jeans, and black, Reebok sneakers. But this obviously didn't help at all.

And then he spotted Hermione. She was walking to the café, her schoolbag slung across her body. She was wearing a black shirt that had a big Arctic Monkeys logo on it, a pair of jeans and trainers. Harry made a mental note to look up what that was when he got back to his flat. She entered the coffee shop, jingling the tiny bell at the top of the door. He watched as she looked around for him. He raised his arm and she finally found him.

"Sorry, I'm a bit late," apologized she, sliding onto a chair across him. "The teacher held me back to ask for my extra credit report."

Harry smiled at how she was so willing to push her grades up. "So, you want to become a teacher?"

Hermione eyed him. "Yes, and if you have a problem with that—"

He raised his hands up in defense. "I don't. But, where do want to teach?"

She looked a bit embarrassed as she twiddled her fingers. "Well, I've always loved Hogwarts, even if I didn't study there."

Harry grinned widely. "It's brilliant there. It was the only place I ever felt like I had a home. I hope you have a great time teaching there,"

She smiled genuinely at him now. "Thank you, Harry."

Harry suddenly looked nervous. "Um, there's something I want to ask you."

Hermione looked up at him, slightly puzzled. "Alright. Go ahead."

"Well, this Saturday, there's going to be a game. But it's just a private game in Hogwarts. Headmistress McGonagall wanted us to play Gryffindor versus Slytherin for old time's sake."

"I don't understand what this has to do with me."

"I was wondering if you'd like to come."

"Oh, Harry, I'd love to."

Harry was surprised. "You're not busy?"

"I'll manage." She waved her hand dismissively. "Besides, I'd get to see Hogwarts."

He smiled at her excitement. "I'll even show you around after the game."

"That'd be brilliant."

"Then, there's something else."

Hermione gave him a confused look. "More?"

"I was wondering if you, you know, would like maybe go around Hogsmeade—"

"Are you asking me out?"

Harry's cheeks tinged pink. "That depends."

"Depends on what exactly?"

"If you're going to say yes."

Hermione laughed. "Oh, Harry! Of course I will! Honestly, what made you think I'd say no?"

"A lot of things actually. Maybe the fact that you were downright pissed of with me just a few days ago."

She laughed again. "It's gotten better."

He grinned at her. "So, Saturday?"

"It's a date."

~*~*~

Saturday dawned bright and clear. The perfect conditions for a Quidditch game, but Harry wouldn't have minded some rain to challenge the game. He was already in his old Gryffindor Quidditch robes, which had been resized earlier. He had Owled Hermione to come early so she could get good seats. She was one of the first ones to arrive. She had even surprised him by telling him good luck.

Then the game started. Harry was off on his Firebolt, speeding through the fresh air. Ron was catching the Quaffle expertly. Draco and Harry were neck-and-neck, each on chasing after the Snitch. All of the students cheered.

And then the game was won. Harry triumphantly held out the Snitch for everyone to see. After the game, Hermione went down to wait outside of the changing rooms. Plenty of female students were waiting outside, giggling and chattering about how Harry winked at them, or waved, or even blew a kiss. The crowd was pushing around Hermione, attempting to see Harry. When he came out, the girls went frantic, calling his name, asking if he could visit their classes and whatnot. He merely nodded at them, searching the crowd. Finally, he spotted Hermione walking away down the path back to the school.

"HERMIONE!" He yelled out, pushing through the girls. The shouting stopped and was replaced with whispering and murmuring, wondering who was Hermione.

Harry caught up to her, grabbing her by the arm. "Hey, where d'you think you're going, Miss Granger?" He asked, grinning as her.

Hermione smiled at him. "I'd rather not wait in a crowd of sweaty girls calling out for you," replied she, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

He laughed and took her hand. "Come on, then. I believe I owe you a tour."

Hermione wrapped her hand around his. "Yes, you do."

Harry showed her around everywhere. He showed her the Great Hall, the different dormitories (Hermione got them into the Ravenclaw house), the Quidditch pitch, the classrooms, and everywhere else. When they had finished, it was already time for lunch.

The rest of the day went by perfectly, save for Ron and Draco's constant teasing and interrupting of Harry's time with Hermione. And before he knew it, Harry was asking her out again during the date.

"Aren't you moving fast?" Hermione teased, grinning as he put a bit of his pasta in his mouth.

Harry grinned back, revealing tomato sauce stained teeth. "Well, yeah, but you don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all."

"Then we can go out again. After our night game next Friday, we'll go out."

Hermione smiled. "Of course."

~*~*~


	2. You Probably Couldn't See

Chapter Two: You Probably Couldn't See For The Lights But You Were Staring Straight At Me

_They're not half as bad as me; say anything and I'll agree_

_When it comes to acting up, I'm sure I could write the book._

_And now that you're more than a part in the play_

_It's slightly easier to think what to say_

_You had us all, standing on our heads_

_Doing our best tricks._

_Never again, will there be another one that's as desirable as you._

– Arctic Monkeys, _You Probably Couldn't See For The Lights But You Were Staring Straight At Me_

Hermione sat on the stands of the Puddlemere United, reading up on her studies about Care Of Magical Creatures. A test was coming up soon, but as usual, she and the rest of her classmates weren't told when, so she spent a portion of her free time catching up and reading in advance. Harry was up in the air, practicing with the rest of teammates. He didn't know she was in yet and she had hoped to surprise him. She also hoped he would notice soon. It was practically winter and she was freezing being high up in the stands.

Meanwhile, up in the air, Ron had spotted her huddled over something on her lap. "Oi, Harry, looks like your girlfriend's here," said Ron, jerking his head in her direction. "You better go over to her before she freezes her bum off."

Harry looked over at where Ron had motioned to and grinned. "Be right back." He quickly flew down and landed with a thump on the stands. Hermione looked up and smiled as she saw Harry. He walked over to her, his hair messy in the cold wind.

"Hey," He greeted, sitting next to her.

"Hi," Hermione replied rather shyly.

"So what're you doing here? I thought you had to study?" Harry asked, remembering the Owl she sent to him saying she couldn't make it for their planned afternoon date.

Hermione shrugged, smiling. "I finished earlier than expected."

Harry looked at the book in her hands. "I reckon that's just a bit of leisure reading, then?"

Hermione laughed. "Don't be silly. I'll keep it away if you want."

He shook his head and kissed her. "No, it's alright. I like watching you study."

Hermione grinned and cupped the back of his neck, pulling him back to her and seeking his lips out. They would've carried on much longer if Ron hadn't called over. "Harry! Get your tongue out of her mouth and get back to practice!"

The couple blushed bright red and Harry yelled at Ron to continue without him. "Sorry," said Harry, getting up and running a hand through his hair. "I should get back. But we'll do something together, I promise."

"I can wait," said Hermione, smiling up at him. "What time do you get off?"

"Two thirty," replied Harry. He picked up his Firebolt.

Hermione pulled back her black jacket sleeve to reveal a brown leather watch. "That's twenty minutes from now. I'll wait."

He gave her one last kiss before flying off. It wasn't long before they were in the café where Harry had bumped into her. They were in a cozy corner each holding a warm cup of coffee.

"So, I was thinking maybe you could come to one of our games coming up and we can go out afterwards." Harry said.

"I'll have to see first. But I'll make time," said Hermione, opening her planner, which she brought with her all the time. "When is it?"

"I'm finding out tomorrow, so could you please try not to act so formal when we're together?" Harry asked gently.

Hermione blushed and smiled at him sheepishly. "Sorry. I have to go about now actually. I promised Cassandra I would review her Defense Against The Darks Arts report."

Harry nodded. "I'll bring you back there."

Hermione smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you,"

"Anything for you," said Harry grinning and then leaving a tip on the table. "Come on, let's go." He took her shoulder bag then grabbed her hand. When they reached the university, Hermione led Harry back to her dormitory. Not many people gawked at him like the first time he took her back to the dormitory. It was as if they'd gotten used to seeing him there with Hermione.

They talked on their way there, about anything and everything. That was how their relationship was. They had the closeness of best friends and yet the intimacy of a couple. "Well, this is my dorm." Hermione said, smiling up at Harry.

He handed her bag back. "I'll see you tomorrow, maybe?"

She nodded happily. "Definitely. Actually,"—she checked her watch—"Cassandra won't be coming in until four thirty because of her extra lessons, so why don't you come in for a while?"

Harry nodded as Hermione opened the door. "Sorry, it's a tad messy." When he stepped in, he took a good look at their surroundings. It was obvious which side of the room was Hermione's. For one thing, her part of the room wasn't splotched with pink objects. Her desk was arranged neatly, with a photo of Puddlemere United with all of their signatures, save for Harry's. Her books were arranged nicely against the wall and there was even three shelves hanging over it, which were filled with books. Her bed was nicely kept with green bed sheets (it was her favorite color along with red and black). Her bedside table had a lamp and a small pocketbook for reading and a photo of her parents and another photo of the two of them.

"Just make yourself at home, as small as it is." Hermione said, setting her bag down on the floor beside her desk. She sat on the edge of her bed and patted the seat beside her.

Harry smiled and sat down. "I'm guessing you want me to sign that photo of United on your desk?" He teased, grinning.

"If you could," said Hermione evasively.

"Well, I won't."

"What? Harry!" Hermione whined.

Harry was firm. "Sorry, I won't."

"Why not?"

"It's a secret."

Hermione laughed and pushed him, laughing even harder as he fell on the bed. "Fine. Whatever."

Harry tugged on her arm, causing her to fall over on top of him. "Comfy, isn't it?"

She laughed a bit then pecked his lips. "Very. I should actually continue reading up on my Care Of Magical Creatures." She sat back up and pulled her book out to continue reading.

"We can read it together then," said Harry, pulling her back down to the bed. "Come on, I'm sure it isn't _that_ boring."

She laughed as she leaned on her right side. "Oh no, it's very interesting."

Harry wrapped his left arm around her waist, slipping it underneath the side and then tucking his other one beneath her left arm comfortably. He placed his chin on her shoulder, reading the book with her and listening as she made comments and explained some things he questioned.

He was sure he was going to be picked on for actually doing this—studying—on a date, but it was better than any practice he had done.

"Isn't this cozy?"

They both turned to the door. Hermione's roommate, Cassandra Davies, was watching them with a smirk. Hermione quickly glanced at her bedside clock.

"You're early," said Hermione in surprise.

"Yes," said Cassandra. "Unless you're too busy for that reviewing,"

"Oh, right," said Hermione. Harry quickly got off of her and helped her sit back up. "Sorry,"

"I understand if you'd want to spend time with, um, your boyfriend. You don't get to see him all the time, right?"

"Yes, but—"

"It's fine, Hermione. Besides, I can take Henry up on his offer." She flashed Hermione a naughty grin.

Without another word, Cassandra picked up a few pink and purple paper covered notebooks and left the room.

"Well, bugger, that went brilliant."

Hermione looked at Harry properly. "Sorry. Ruined the moment, didn't it?"

He shook his head. "Not especially. But I've got to go. Wood is visiting for night practice today."

"Mind if I watch?"

"Not at all. But it's probably going to end pretty late. Not to mention they'll probably drag me off to some bar to get pissed out of their minds, only to have me drag each and every one of their arses back to their houses."

Hermione laughed. "Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow? Perhaps you could stop by after class?"

"I'd love to." He gave her a lingering kiss, pulling her up with him as they walked to the door, lips still firmly attached to one another. He clumsily opened the doorknob, but neither of them made a move to let go "I love you, you know," said he after they pulled apart when a teacher reprimanded them.

"I love you too," Hermione said. "See you tomorrow."

He gave her another long kiss, this time not bothering to stop when another teacher scolded them. He slid his calloused hands underneath her sweater, reveling in the feel of Hermione's soft skin.

Hermione moaned into his mouth. "Harry…"

He reluctantly let go and slid his hands back out. "Right, I should go."

"I'll see you, then?"

Harry grinned. "Definitely."

~*~*~

"Disgusting."

"Beg pardon?"

"That's what you are, Harry," slurred Ron. "Disgusting."

Harry chuckled and took a sip from his non-alcoholic soda. He decided to lay low on the drinking. He once got so drunk, their coach had to call up Hermione to help him back to the nearest player's flat, which was Ron's, who had slept over at Luna's. Hermione hated the smell of alcohol around him and admonished him the next morning for being so irresponsible. The only good things that came out was that he woke up to her in his arms and the three snogging sessions they had the previous night when Harry decided to nearly shag her on the couch, on the kitchen counter, and underneath the coffee table.

"Funny," said Harry sardonically. "Mmm, let's see. Ingrate."

Ron emitted a loud, long burp, earning numerous laughs from the rest of their drunken teammates. "Smart! That was smart!"

It was about one in the morning. And since the night practice ended towards the end of eleven, the team had gone to a bar. It had started out nice, just a bit of darts, pool, alcoholic beverages, and talks about women, in which Harry refused to say anything about Hermione. And then they each start to get drunk, aside from Harry, who played it safe.

"Your turn, Ron."

"Urgh. Um, te—te—television."

"Damn, that's a tough one, Harry," called out Dean Thomas, the team's beater.

"Ionosphere."

"Just lose already, you bastard." Ron said, toppling over on his bar stool.

Harry chuckled again, shaking his head in wonder at how Ron could still even string two words together in a sentence. "It's your turn."

"Re—repeat."

"Atomic."

"Iceland."

"Andante."

"Damn." Ron swore. He swung around in his bar stool and threw and empty can to the blonde man "Oi, Malfoy, give another word with 'te' at the beginning."

Draco downed another Firewhiskey. "Tea."

Ron clapped Harry's shoulder. "Tea's my answer, mate."

"Easy."

"Shit, that's hard. S—s—"

"Ron?"

Harry turned around and spotted Luna Lovegood entering the bar. She frowned at all the drunken men and finally made her way over to Ron.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley! What on earth are you doing?" She demanded hotly.

"Loony! So glad you're here!"

Luna wrinkled her nose at the nickname. "How long has he been like this, Harry?"

Harry checked his watch. "About an hour or so. I asked for a hangover potion from the bartender, but Ron wouldn't take it."

"Oh, God, this is going to be horrible," sad Luna, slipping Ron's arm around her shoulders.

Harry shrugged. "Hey, at least when you get to your flat, you could shag him a million times and he wouldn't even remember."

Luna smiled weakly. "I'd rather not shag a drunk Ron Weasley."

He laughed. "Too true. See you, Luna."

She shifted underneath Ron uncomfortably. "You sure you don't want any help with the rest of the lot?"

He shook his head. "No, but thanks for the offer though."

Luna smiled uncomfortably as Ron burped near her ear. "Ugh. His breath is worse than his bite."

Harry laughed. "Good luck, Luna."

"You too, Harry." And with that, she Apparated away. Harry spent the next two hours bringing the rest of his teammates home and leaving them a hangover potion, which he had to brew himself. He needed to bring just one last teammate home, and that was Andrew Kenzie, the team's best Chaser.

Just as he was helping Andrew up, someone called out to him. "Harry…"

He looked around and squinted through the dim lighting. "Mary?" Mary Brendon was Dean's girlfriend. They'd been dating for three years, but Dean wasn't ready to ask the big question yet.

"Oh, Harry," She giggled drunkenly. "I do love how you say my name." She walked seductively towards him.

He rolled his eyes. "You should get home, Mary."

"Only if you take me there," She whispered, trailing her hand down his chest towards his shaft, until Harry caught her just as she reached the middle of his chest.

"Don't even try it, Mary. I've got a girlfriend."

"I bet she isn't as pretty as me."

"She's loads more beautiful, and I'll only ever want her. Come on, let's get you home."

Mary giggled. "Why, Harry, I thought you'd never ask."

"Funny, Mary." He bent down to pick up the unconscious Andrew when he felt someone caress his bum. He quickly turned and slapped Mary's am away so fast and hard, she actually fell backwards onto the floor. "What the hell?! Didn't I just tell you to back off?" He yelled.

"Harry, you don't mean that," She purred, getting back up, flashing her knickers because of her extremely short skirt. She tried to reach for him when Harry caught her by the wrist.

"Don't even go there. I don't want to have to hurt you, Mary. Merlin knows how badly I could hex you."

"You would never hurt a lady, Harry."

"Correction: I would never hurt a lady who wasn't drunk. Ladies don't get drunk," said Harry, thinking fondly of Hermione. She'd sworn to never get drunk. Alcohol tasted horrible to her anyway.

"But Harry—"

"But nothing, Mary."

The next thing he knew, Mary had forcefully pulled his head down to hers and started to attack his lips. He pulled away, only to have her pull him back down. Mary kept him in place by cupping his bum, pressing his shaft (which didn't react at all) to her stomach. Right before Mary could even thrust her tongue in his mouth, Harry pulled away, and accidentally slapping her smartly across the face, but not before a flash went off from somewhere.

Harry quickly left the bar (forgetting about Andrew and Mary), rinsing his mouth and brushing his teeth so he could have nothing of Mary on him. Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day.

~*~*~

The next morning, Harry found himself on the grass in the Quidditch pitch, rubbing the quickly bruising spot on his jaw.

"What the fuck, Potter?!" Dean demanded angrily. "You purposely left my girlfriend at the bar so you could snog her, couldn't you?"

Before Dean could say anymore, Harry had hurled his fist in the other boy's eye. "Shut the fuck up, Thomas. I wouldn't touch your bitch of a girlfriend! If you want to hear the truth, _she_ kissed _me_!"

"Break it up, you two." Ron said, pushing Dean away from Harry. Annoyed, Dean stalked away along with a couple of other members. "Merlin, Harry, you alright?"

"Yeah," said Harry, muttering a quick Healing spell over the bruise. "Just great. How'd he find out anyway?"

"Are you kidding? It's all over the papers!" Ron paused for a while and then said, "How do you reckon Hermione's taking it?"

"Shit! I forgot she might see the paper!" Harry quickly straddled his broom. "Cover up for me, will you, Ron?"

"Sure, Harry. Just hurry up, mate."

~*~*~

"Hermione, I can explain!"

"I knew it would've been in your nature! You men are all the same! You think you can just play with women because we _so_ 'easy'!"

They were in her university. Harry had found her right after she read the paper, earning him a smart slap across the face. He was now following her down the hall as she headed back for her dormitory.

"Will you at least let me explain?" He called out.

"I don't even want to hear it, Potter!"

He inwardly winced at the use of his last name but he caught up with her and grabbed her wrist, swinging her around so she was facing him.

"Will you please listen?" He demanded, boring his eyes into hers.

She immediately began hitting him with her free hand. "Let go of me! Let go of me, you filthy bastard! Damn it!"

"No, I will not let you go until you listen to me."

"What do you have to explain to me? I clearly wasn't good enough for you, so you decided to shag some sexier woman, who, might I point out, was your teammate's girlfriend!"

"Bloody hell, Hermione! It was just one fucking kiss!" Harry exclaimed angrily.

"Oh, so I supposed that makes it all better, doesn't it?" Hermione spat, looking boldly into his guilt-ridden eyes.

Harry sighed and let go of her wrist. "No, it doesn't. I'm sorry." He ran a hand through his wild hair and slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Fine. I'll—I'll see you around."

He turned around and started to walk out of the university. They didn't talk for the rest of the day.

~*~*~

"Careful. Did she say she broke up with you?"

"No, but she was as angry as hell, Ron. You should've seen how pissed off she was. It was as if all hell broke loose. Fulfilling."

"Ingenious. Then she didn't break up with you. If she didn't say so, she didn't. Honestly, you act as if the world's ending."

"I wouldn't care if it exploded right now. But what if this was a silent break-up? Usage."

"Gear. It isn't. Trust me. Women hate that silent break-up shite. Come on, mate, give her some time to cool off."

"Articulate. I just want to make her understand."

"Damn you and your fancy words. Teacher. She _will_ understand. It'll take some time. The wounds are probably still fresh."

"Eradicator. I think I'll see her today."

"Tortilla. I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Lather. And why not?"

"Erase. Like you said, she's as mad as hell. Wait a few days."

"Sepulcher. I don't want to wait a few days! I need her to understand. I love her."

"Cherish. Who doesn't know that? Just hear me out. She'll talk to you eventually."

"Shenanigans. Fine."

"Answer."

"Ere."

"Relive."

"Versatile."

"Leper."

"Damn it, stop giving me 'er'! Erosion."

"Ongoing."

"Ingeminate."

"Teddy."

"Dyad."

"Address."

"Essence."

"Celery."

"Rye."

"Yes."

"Escalation."

"One."

"Need."

"Edible."

"Leader."

"Dead."

"Adequate."

"Te—technical."

"Also."

"Sophomore."

"Repetitive."

"V—v—damn, I can't think of any!"

Harry grinned. "I win."

~*~*~

**A/N: Please review! Seriously! Also next chapter coming up: Mardy Bum! : D I've fallen in love with Arctic Monkeys again. :3**


	3. Mardy Bum

**A/N: We're so sorry for the late update! We only just got off from school, so know it's Christmas break. Although, we don't know if we can update faster, since we're loaded with projects. So, for now this will have to do. We have a feeling that you'll like the ending of this chapter! ;) Don't forget a review! You know how much we need them! : D**

Chapter Three: Mardy Bum

_And I can't be arsed to carry on in this debate  
That reoccurs, oh, when you say I don't care  
But of course I do, yeah, I clearly do!_

– Arctic Monkeys, _Mardy Bum_

Harry lay slumped on his couch, nursing a beer. (Yes, he'd gotten back into alcohol ever since the break-up.) It was nearly four in the morning. He'd been trying to explain to Hermione for the past three weeks about the kiss, but she'd never let him. Apparently, three slaps on the face and arm can't get him to give up. It was when she completely ignored him that he realized she wasn't going to budge.

He needed some company, but everybody on the team was busy. Draco was off with Ginny, Ron with Luna, Dean still with Mary, Oliver with Katie Bell, Andrew with Eloise Midgen, and so on. So that left Harry all alone in his flat, staring blankly at his television, reliving his days with Hermione in his head. The weather was no help either. It had been never ending rain for the past two days, and it only made him sink into more remorse.

Finally, he turned his television off and turned his face down on the sofa, trying to suffocate himself. Suddenly, a knock on his door lifted his head from the corduroy textured couch. Pulling a shirt on, he hobbled to the door and rubbed his eyes rather sleepily.

When he opened the door, his eyes widened. He would've been expecting anyone but the person standing at his door.

"I'm sorry."

Harry stood speechless, looking at Hermione. She was soaked to the bone in rain. Her messy brown hair was no longer puffy and was sticking to her face. Her black tank top and white jacket clung to her gentle curves, showing an outline of her lacy black bra. Her sneakers were wet as well, making squishy, wet sounds. Harry's mouth had suddenly gone dry.

"Her—Hermione," said Harry hoarsely.

"I'm sorry," repeated she. "I sh-shouldn't have g-gotten so mad at y-you."

"You're cold." Harry had finally found his voice. Hermione noticed it wasn't very angry, but it wasn't very welcoming either. It sounded more like a statement for the sake of knowledge.

She shook her head softly, staining Harry's glasses with droplets of water. "It doesn't matter."

An awkward silence stretched on for who knows how long until Hermione spoke again. "I really am sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you. It was only one kiss, and—and—" She cut herself off, not knowing what else to say.

"Was that all you came here for?"

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. She was apologizing to him, when _he _was the one who had kissed another woman. And yet, here he was questioning her irrational and spontaneous behavior with a certain edge of annoyance in his voice. Her chest tightened. Had she screwed things up permanently with him?

"I—I'll go then." Hot tears pricked the back of her eyes. She willed herself not to cry in front of him.

Turning around, she started to walk away when something warm gripped her upper arm. She spun around and looked at Harry.

"Stay for a while," He whispered so softly, Hermione had to strain her ears to hear amidst the pouring rain. Hermione willingly went into his arms, which wrapped around her small body instantly. She had started sobbing into his shoulder. He knew his shirt would be drenched, but he didn't give a damn.

"Shh, it's alright, Hermione," murmured he into Hermione's ear while squeezing her tightly in an attempt to make her warmer. Closing the door with his foot, he led a freezing Hermione into his living room. He let her sit on his sofa. "You're such a nesh girl. Get warm, okay? I'll be right back." He left her for a while, grabbing a towel, a shirt, and a pair of pajamas from his closet.

He wrapped the towel around her, embracing her as she leaned her wet head on his already sopping shirt. "You alright?"

Hermione nodded, sniffing a bit. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry too," said Harry. "I should've thought about you first—"

"It's fine."

Harry smiled at her. "So. Does this mean we're back together?"

Hermione grinned back at him impishly. "I certainly don't recall _ever _breaking up with you at all."

He gave in. The seductive grin was all the encouragement he needed to finally press his lips to hers. After a few minutes, Harry broke away. He was lying down on the sofa, with Hermione underneath him. Hermione's arms were around his neck. On the floor, beside the couch was Hermione's jacket, so her top was dressed only in her black tank top. "You should change your clothes," said Harry reluctantly.

She nodded, getting off of him. "Where's your bathroom?"

"In my room. It's the only door there, so it shouldn't be too hard to miss."

Hermione laughed, a sound he didn't know he missed so much. "I won't be long."

When Hermione came back, she was dressed in his favorite sleep shirt and his Gryffindor pajamas. She had all of her clothes in her arms. _All_ of her clothes, including her underwear. Harry suddenly felt very warm as the lacy black pair of underwear was laid over her blue denim jeans. "Thanks."

"No problem," Harry managed to choke out. "D'you still want to go back to your dormitory?"

"No," said Hermione. She glanced out of one of the windows to see the pouring rain. "I think that possibility is out anyway."

"Well, you could always stay on my bed and I could just crash on the sofa."

"Nonsense," admonished she. "I can stay on the couch."

"Aren't women all fragile and stuff?"

Hermione twisted around to glare at him, her brown hair swishing with moistness. "I'm not made of glass, Harry." She hissed vehemently.

Harry held his hands up in defense. "Never said you were, tiger."

She rubbed her temple. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just a bit tired."

Harry stood up from the couch and embraced her lovingly. "I love you, Hermione."

She smiled up at him shyly, wrapping her arms around his middle. "I love you too." She peered at him with questioning eyes. "Will you stay with me? On the bed, I mean?"

He didn't hesitate. "Of course."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "No funny business, you hear?"

Harry grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."

~*~*~

"You didn't come back last night."

Hermione looked up from her notes on her Charms lessons and at her roommate and friend, Cassandra. "Pardon?"

"Don't 'pardon' me, Hermione Granger. Where did you go last night?" She demanded, her long ginger hair flaring along with her temper.

"Well calm down, temper, temper. You shouldn't get so annoyed. You're acting like a silly little boy," sang Hermione, grinning like the proverbial cat that got the cream.

"And don't chide me with your band songs either. Come on, Hermione, tell me where you went," said Cassandra, her demand turning into a whine.

Hermione hid a smile behind her glass of orange juice as she took a sip. It was rather strange, now that she thought about it. She and Cassandra had just been lying down on their beds, talking. Well, Cassandra was anyway. Hermione was thinking about her treatment towards Harry, when all of a sudden, she sat up and slipped on her white jacket, telling her roommate she had to go somewhere. Hermione didn't even care that it had been raining cats and dogs.

She focused back on Cassandra, who was now looking at her strangely. "What is it?" Hermione asked. "Is there something on my face?"

"There's something different about you," observed the redhead. "You seem . . . happier. In fact, you smell different."

"I _smell_ different?" Hermione asked, casting her friend a curious glance.

"Mmm-hmm," replied Cassandra. "There's a strange scent hovering around you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Hermione said rather defensively while blushing.

"You smell like—like aftershave," Cassandra gasped, grinning widely. "Hermione, you skank!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"You went to some boy slag's house! What happened to you, Hermione?" Cassandra exclaimed overdramatically.

"I didn't go to any slag's house! Honestly, I went to Harry."

"Oh." Cassandra visibly deflated and then she perked up. "You made up, yeah?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. He was so sweet about it."

"And you bathed yourself in his aftershave to make a point or something?"

"NO! What kind of person _am_ I to you? I was cooking breakfast and he had just shaved."

"So I assume you did something together at close proximity that his aftershave stuck to you?"

The brown-haired witch turned scarlet. "Well, yes, technically."

Cassandra laughed. "Oh, Hermione, it's great that you two are back together."

"Please don't noise it around."

"I wouldn't do that," said Cassandra sincerely. Suddenly, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, God, don't look now, but Colin's making his way over here." The redhead knew all too well about his crush on Hermione.

Hermione turned around to find a lanky, black-haired man slip on a wet part of the cafeteria, spilling his breakfast. Cassandra laughed good-heartedly. "He's so ridiculous."

Hermione paid no heed to her but immediately stood up to help Colin. "Honestly," she muttered, helping him clean up his scrambled eggs and spilled milk, "they should at least put up a warning sign."

Colin remained silent, cleaning up. When they finished, Colin was scuffling his feet. "Thank you, Hermione." He said.

"It's fine. Why don't you sit over at my table with Cassandra?"

"No thanks," declined the blue-eyed boy politely. "Cassandra isn't fond of me around her anyway."

"She'll come around soon, Colin," said Hermione, mistaking his hesitance for a fancy.

"Oh, it doesn't matter. Just as long as you've come around." With a quick smile, he left for an empty table.

Hermione sighed, sitting back down at her own table. "I wish people wouldn't treat him so horribly."

Cassandra rolled her eyes, pushing some of her ginger hair off of her shoulders. "Honestly, Hermione, I don't see why you associate with people like him. He's so—so—"

"Don't even finish that sentence, Cassandra." Hermione warned, casting a glance at Colin, who was miserably picking at his eggs. "I just hope his day gets better."

~*~*~

Music pulsed around the bar as people danced underneath the flashing lights. It was one of P. United's famous after-parties. They had recently won a game against the Wimbourne Wasps, and they were celebrating. Draco and Ginny were dancing along with Ron and Luna. Harry was standing by the food table with Hermione. Many of the team's fan girls were in attendance, hoping to bag a few of them.

"See that blonde back there?" Harry asked Hermione, pressing his mouth against her ear.

His hot breath tickled her ear. "Which one?" She asked with a smile at her boyfriend, before turning around and scanning the large crowd.

Harry followed her actions, looking around, and then turned away from the crowd again. He leaned his mouth over her ear again. "Blonde one at two o'clock, wearing the skimpy red dress."

Hermione sipped her punch while letting her eyes roam around the crowd until she spotted a blonde in a red dress that didn't cover much of her. She had spiky red heels and her make-up was caked on. Hermione caught the hungry look in her eyes as they roamed all over Harry's body. "I see her. What about her?"

"She's the team's biggest fan. She's attended every single one of our games, whether it's in England or not."

The bushy haired girl let out a low whistle. "Wow. I'm guessing she's into one of you lot?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Harry nodded. "Guess who the lucky bloke is."

"Hmm," said Hermione, tapping her chin. "I'm guessing a certain black-haired, green-eyed Seeker is what she's lusting after?" She grinned up at him.

"You know, most girlfriends would be jealous," stated Harry.

"Well, seeing as you're over here, standing beside me with your arm wrapped around my waist, rather possessively might I add, I don't have a lot to be jealous of."

Harry opened his mouth to retort but Hermione interrupted him. "Don't look now, Harry, but she's coming over here."

"Oh, God, save me." Harry groaned. He dared to look at the blonde's direction and found her staring straight at him, squeezing herself through the crowd.

He pulled Hermione closer to him. "Dance with me," He whispered huskily into her ear.

"Don't use me to make her jealous," admonished Hermione.

Then the mood of the party changed from fast and energetic to slow and relaxing as a slow tempo song came on.

Harry looked at her with pleading eyes. Hermione finally relented. "Fine, but only because it's this song."

He grinned at her before whisking her away and to the dance floor, wrapping his arms around her waist. Hermione, in turn, wrapped her arms around his neck. The blonde who had been making her way to Harry pouted at the sight of them.

When the song had ended, Harry let Hermione go and get something to drink while he caught up with some old schoolmates. Hermione, however, did not expect Draco Malfoy to be leaning against the refreshments table, gulping down some beer.

"Granger!" He exclaimed, looking at her appreciatively.

Hermione nodded politely, holding in her grimace at the stench of alcohol in his breath. "Hello, Draco."

"Why don't you save me a dance for later?" Draco slurred, leaning closer to her.

Hermione quickly filled her cup with punch, and stepped away from the blond. "No, thanks. I owe Harry so many more anyway," replied she, placing a hand on his chest to push him away. "Where's your girlfriend? Weren't you dancing with her awhile ago?"

"Ginny had to leave," replied Draco with no hint of disappointment. "Come on, Granger, I promise to keep my hands where you can see them," He came closer, trying to wrap his arms around her.

Hermione pushed him away. "Draco—"

"Come on," he slurred, "you know you want to,"

She could only do what she was forced to and dumped her punch all over his feet. He yelped and quickly jumped away from her.

"Hermione!" Harry yelled from behind her pleasantly. "Where've you been?"

Hermione allowed him to sweep her into his arms and kiss her. "You missed a song I really wanted to dance with you," he whined, nuzzling her neck affectionately.

She laughed a bit and pushed his face away from her neck but pressed her forehead against his. "You're drunk, aren't you?" She asked teasingly.

"Not one bit," replied Harry, hiccupping.

She laughed again and kissed him gently. "We should take you back to your flat."

"Never!" He exclaimed, twirling her around.

Hermione merely shook her head, laughing. She placed his arm around her shoulders and started to leave the party.

"Take care of him, Hermione!" Ron said, dancing around with Luna.

She nodded and headed out of the bar. Once they were out on the street, Hermione glanced at her watch. It was nearly three in the morning. "Cassandra is going to kill me," she whispered.

"Hermione," he said softly, tilting her chin up to look at him, no longer in his drunken stupor, "stay with me tonight."

"I—I can't," Hermione stammered, not meeting his gaze.

"I need you," said Harry with urgency. "I _want_ you. So much, it scares me."

"Harry—"

"Please,"

Hermione bit her lower lip, not sure what to say. So instead, she leaned up and kissed him. Harry snaked his arms around her, nearly carrying her off of the ground.

A few minutes later, Harry stumbled into his flat, pulling Hermione along while still firmly attached on their lips. Together, they hobbled into the flat. Harry led Hermione to his bedroom, and they fell on the bed. It was only then when Harry pulled his mouth from hers.

"A-are you sure you want this?" He asked, nervous all of a sudden.

Hermione laughed, looping her arms around his neck. "_Now_ you ask me?"

He gave her a lazy grin. "I love you so much."

Feeling bold, Hermione tugged on his shirt. "Show me how much."

~*~*~

Hermione woke up in a daze, thinking everything that happened last night was all a dream, but her doubts were cleared when she opened her eyes and saw his sleeping face. There was a welcoming soreness coming from her lower regions, but she ignored it. Her legs were tangled with Harry's, and his arms were wrapped possessively around her.

She started to trace her finger on his face, stroking his cheek in the process. Harry suddenly woke up, his face breaking out into a wide grin at the sight of her. "Good morning," she whispered softly.

"Did I hurt you at all last night?" Harry asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

"No," said Hermione, "you were perfect."

He nuzzled her neck. "You sure?"

"Mmm-hmm, how many—?"

"Four," replied Harry, pulling away from her neck, and grinning at her.

"Four?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"You certainly know how to get it on, Miss Granger. Every time I tried to go to sleep, you climbed on top of me, arousing me all over again."

Hermione blushed, and swatted him playfully. "Liar."

"I am not," replied Harry indignantly.

"We should probably take a shower. Merlin knows how much we sweated last night," said Hermione, sliding out of the bed.

"Would you mind if I join you?" Harry asked huskily.

Hermione gave him a naughty grin. "I don't see what's stopping you."

~*~*~


	4. Temptation Greets You

**A/N: We're so sorry for the late post! We've been busy, since we both had tons of exams last week. We hope this sort of makes up for it. It's kind of short though... Remember, reviews _are_ appreciated. Immensely. Also, we'll try to update quicker!**

Chapter Four: Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend

_I don't ever want to hate you,  
It's not part of the plan,  
So keep your charm where I can't see it,  
And your hands where I can._

– Arctic Monkeys, _Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend_

Hermione found herself on the early afternoon of a Saturday waiting patiently outside the locker rooms of P. United. She had a book opened on her lap for her upcoming Charms exam and she was waiting while Harry finished bathing. When she heard the door open, she had expected Harry, but instead found Draco walking outside, drying off his platinum blond hair with a towel.

"Granger," said he, finally acknowledging her presence. "What're you doing here?"

"Waiting for Harry," replied Hermione, not bothering to glance up from her book. She glanced at her wristwatch. "He's taking a lot longer than usual."

"Oh, that's because Dean decided to hide his the soap. Along with his shirt," Draco smirked.

Hermione hid a smile as a picture of a panicked Harry ran around the locker room flashed through their mind. Somehow, she had a feeling that he would be late to their date even if she came to his practice earlier. "Well, it's quite alright," said the brown-haired witch.

Hermione had just got back to her reading when she felt Draco sit next to her, a little too closely. Furrowing her brow a bit, she continued reading and scooted away from him. Draco seemed unfazed, but he sneaked his hand onto the space between them, his hand nearly touching her bum. Again, Hermione moved away. She was starting to feel rather unnerved. When was Harry coming out? Suddenly, she felt Draco's hand snake around her waist. Hermione jerked away, falling off of the bench.

"Draco!" She exclaimed. Would one of her boyfriend's best friends actually flirt with her, even when he had a girlfriend?

Draco chuckled, and held his hand out to help her up. Hermione eyed it warily, and didn't accept it. She pushed herself off of the ground, dusting the dirt off of her pants and book. She kept her book, and looked hopefully at the door to the locker rooms. "What's wrong with you, Granger?"

"Nothing," said Hermione sharply.

The Chaser patted the spot next to him. "Come on, sit. It's tiring to stand up."

"No, thank you," said Hermione. "Look, Malfoy, I don't want to hate you, so don't try anything with me."

"What? I wasn't trying anything."

Hermione opened her mouth to retort, saying that he was, indeed, trying to charm her, and that it would never work, but the locker door opened, pouring steam out everywhere. Harry walked out, scrubbing his hair in a manner much like Draco's earlier.

"Hermione!" Harry cried, seeing her standing there awkwardly. He scooped her into his arms and kissed her sweetly.

"Hello," replied Hermione rather breathlessly when they broke apart. Her eyes strayed to Draco, who was still sitting on the bench, but he was glaring at Harry. She felt uncomfortable to be watched by someone like him.

Harry seemed to have followed her gaze, and saw Draco. His eyebrows shot into his hairline. "Draco? What the hell are you still doing here?" Harry asked. "I thought you were supposed to meet Ginny right after practice?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. Draco stood up quickly. "Right you are," said Draco. He tossed a wave over his shoulder and left the pitch.

"That was odd," said Harry. He turned back to Hermione, who was resting her head against his chest. "Is something wrong?" He asked, peering into her face.

"No," Hermione lied, forcing a smile. "I missed you this past week."

"I know," He said sadly. "It's been a pretty busy week for both of us. I've got to leave again for a few months coming up, and you've got exams this week."

"At least I've got only one left, right?" Hermione chirped optimistically. "And then it's my summer break."

Harry suddenly brightened. "Hey, your summer break starts the same time my tour does, so…"

"So?" Hermione asked, smiling a bit bemusedly.

"I was wondering if you would like to tour around with me," Harry asked almost shyly.

"Oh, Harry, I'd love to!" Hermione said, as Harry picked her up and spun her around. "But my school starts September, and your tour ends on—"

"—October," finished Harry dejectedly. "Right, stupid idea. Just scratch that—"

"Harry," Hermione said gently while cupping his cheek. "I'll think of something. I think if I extend my summer vacation, I can give up the Christmas holidays—"

"I'm not going to take away the only holiday you spend with your parents,"

"They'll understand," said Hermione Harry had begun to look unsure again, so she said, "I promise. Besides, they want me to be happy. And I'm always happy when I'm with you,"

"If you say so," said Harry, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, it's your last year the year after this."

"I know," replied Hermione. "Time sure flies, doesn't it? It only seems like yesterday when I was interviewing you and meeting you for the first time."

"That was when? Just last year, right? How was that we met? Some bossy part-time journalist comes over to interview Puddlemere United to help pay for her summer classes?"

Hermione looked affronted and hit him playfully.

"I do believe our anniversary is coming up, Miss Granger," said Harry, tapping his finger to her nose.

Hermione grinned. "Yes, our first anniversary is on the twenty-ninth of July. It's also near your birthday."

"I'm glad you remembered. Now, when was yours, again?"

She swatted his arm. "Harry!"

"Kidding, love," said Harry, kissing her cheek as they walked from the pitch. "September nineteen. How could I forget? You made me buy you the most expensive necklace in the jewelry shop."

"I did not!" cried Hermione rather indignantly. "I was just admiring it through the window, and then _you_ went and bought it."

"Aye, that's about right," laughed Harry, wrapping his arm around her waist. He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Come on, then, we don't want to be late for the movie, now, do we?"

~*~*~

It was an early June morning. The morning chill was still settling down on Liverpool. Hermione and Harry were enjoying the six o'clock morning, strolling around Muggle Liverpool. The air smelled of a nice combination of sweet morning pastries and freshly printed newspapers. There was a light drizzle of rain the previous night, so the sidewalks and roads were slightly wet. Hermione's hand was clasped in Harry's and they were chatting animatedly while swinging their hands back and forth.

"I can't believe how fast you caught that Snitch last night!" Hermione exclaimed yet again as they turned the corner, hoping for a quaint café they could eat breakfast at.

Harry grinned impishly. "Well, I did have a great incentive," said he devilishly.

Hermione turned red and hit him on the stomach. "Well, I was knackered from the traveling we did, since your manager insisted we drive there, for reasons I'll never know."

"Oliver's just like that. You know, being pureblood and all, he likes to try the Muggle way of doing things."

"I still can't believe how quickly you caught the Snitch. The Flanders National Quidditch Team has no idea it was coming."

"Three minutes into the game, and I caught it. Apparently, that was the fastest game in Quidditch history."

"There's something about you and making history, Harry James," Hermione teased as they finally entered a small bakery.

"You don't say," said Harry dryly, while poking her stomach lightly.

The bakery smelled of cinnamon and honey. Hermione reveled in the sweet scent. There were a few seats inside, so once they had finished choosing their choice of pastries and bread, they sat by the window seat with a few cups of coffee.

"D'you think we should bring some back for the team?" Harry asked, weaving their fingers together over the table.

"Probably," said Hermione, after thinking awhile. "Ron would probably get mad if he found out we went to a bakery and didn't bring him back anything."

He grinned. "You know us so well already."

She smiled back, and leant over to kiss him chastely on the lips. "Your teammates are like the brothers I've never had." Her mind flew to Draco for a moment. Over the past months, he'd tried a total of four times to touch her, or flirt with her in anyway. Hermione was thankful she was a quick wit at times.

Suddenly, the bell hanging over the bakery door rang, signaling the arrival of another customer. Out of habit, Hermione looked up only to see her good friend, Colin.

Hermione stood up immediately, letting go of Harry's hand. "Colin!" She exclaimed brightly.

Harry refrained from scowling heavily. He turned to see a scrawny raven-haired boy. His pale skin seemed to glow, and he was smiling brilliantly at Hermione, the sides of his eyes crinkling. "Hermione!" He said, hugging her tightly. "What are you doing here?" (Harry especially didn't like his _darling_ Irish accent.)

"I'm here with Harry," said Hermione, gesturing to her boyfriend who was still seated but she connected their hands once more, "on their summer tour."

"That's great," replied Colin. "Where have you gone to so far?"

"So far only Manchester and here. But the tour is still going out of the country to Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. I'm so excited!" Hermione squealed.

Colin grinned at her excitement. "I'm glad you're excited. You should have a good time."

"But what are you doing here?"

"Visiting some relatives. But I'm in a rush, my Aunt Emma is waiting for me to come back with breakfast."

"Well, it was nice seeing you, Colin. I'll see you soon?"

"Definitely." He bent over her and kissed her innocently on the cheek.

Hermione sat back down across of Harry, still grinning.

"You never told me about him," said Harry quietly.

"About who?" Hermione asked. "Colin?"

Feeling uncomfortable, he merely shrugged in response and released her hand from his.

"I didn't feel like I needed to. After all, he's just a friend," replied Hermione offhandedly.

Again, Harry shrugged.

Hermione finally caught one to his lack of response and asked tentatively, "You're not—?"

"I'm not what?" Harry snapped irritably, already getting ready with the I'm-not-jealous speech.

Hermione pursed her lips in annoyance. "Never mind." She quickly drank all of her coffee. "We should go. The team is probably awake and getting ready for practice—"

"I am, alright?"

She snapped her cool gaze back to the raven-haired man across her. "You're what?"

"I'm jealous. Honestly, you're probably the only person who could ever make me admit that," Harry said, pouting a bit.

"You're being ridiculous," Hermione chastised sternly. "You've got nothing to be jealous of. Colin's just a friend. And he knows how much I love you."

"Yeah, I guess."

Hermione smiled, satisfied. She pressed her lips to his quickly. "Come on, let's go."

Harry grinned and stood up, intertwining their hands.

~*~*~

"You want us to move in together?" Hermione asked, slightly taken aback.

Harry shrugged and scuffed his shoe against the dewy grass. "If you want to."

They were finally in Wales, and it was an early September morning. More importantly, it was Hermione's 20th birthday. Since the team had a few days off for themselves, Harry had taken her around Wales to the places where Merlin and Arthur had supposedly gone. They were now in a wide grassy area right outside of the castles in Carmarthen of Southern Wales. This was where Merlin was supposedly born, and Harry thought Hermione would've loved to go for her birthday.

Hermione was touched, of course, and loved the sweet thought. She and Harry were roaming around for a while, when Harry brought up going back home. She was talking about buying a flat, and then Harry asked (rather speedily) if she would like to move in with him.

"Of course, I'd love to," said Hermione slowly, "but—"

He abruptly turned away from her. "Right, your university. I always forget these little details," Harry interrupted, feeling disappointed and reprimanding himself for asking too soon. Ron had warned him that it was probably too early for him to ask her that.

Hermione shook her head and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I was going to say that you probably wouldn't have enough space for all of my books."

Harry grinned and turned her around, and scooped her into his arms in one swift motion. "Really?"

"Well, yes, I do have tons of books over at my dorm. And there are still some over at—"

He cut her off with a kiss. "I meant if you would really want to live with me."

"Of course," she retorted playfully.

"You're brilliant," said Harry, nuzzling her neck.

Hermione laughed. "We should finish the tour, Harry."

"Mmm," He replied, his lips grazing over her collarbone.

"H-Harry…" Hermione was feeling her resolve weaken.

"Excuse me, ma'am and sir?" asked a gruff male voice behind. "The tour?"

Harry sighed, making Hermione laugh. "Let's get on with it, then."

~*~*~


	5. The Bad Thing

**A/N: Hello there! We've been trying to update faster, now that our exams are over. We hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter Five: The Bad Thing

_Do the bad thing,  
Take off your wedding ring,  
But it won't make it that much easier, it might make it worse_

– Arctic Monkeys, _The Bad Thing_

"I can't believe my roommate is leaving me," Cassandra whined one Saturday afternoon. It was the middle of October, and the streets were colored beautifully with red, orange, and yellow. Hermione's teachers had given her the permission to skip her Christmas break to catch up with the rest of her year. Since she had gone on tour with Harry, she missed nearly half of the first semester of her third year, but she was catching up rather quickly.

Hermione had broken the news to her roommate that she would be moving in with Harry. Her professors had allowed her to do so, only as long as the cohabitation would not affect her behavior and attendance in classes and her extracurricular activities.

"Don't be such a baby," Hermione said, tossing a few trinkets into a small box. "After all, you'll be having this room all to yourself now. Surely, that's _one_ benefit, right?"

"Well," the redhead replied, "I guess that's one thing."

"Good," said Hermione, taping the box closed. She took one look at her empty side of the room. The off-white walls were blank now, since she removed her picture frames and posters. Her desk was clean, without anymore CD's and books, and whatnot covering it. Her bed sheets were kept away in a duffel bag, along with her pillows. The rest of her clothes were kept away. (Since some of them were already in Harry's house.) "I guess this is it."

Suddenly, Hermione was tackled by Cassandra, whose hair was smashed up against the brunette's face. "Oh, I'm going to miss you so much!" She bawled.

Hermione laughed. "I'm going to miss you too, Cassie," she patted her friend's back awkwardly. "At least someone will miss me."

"Don't be so modest," Cassandra said, pulling back and wiping her cheeks. "You clearly weren't paying attention to Colin's face then when you told him. He looked like the world was going to end."

The brunette laughed again. "He was just depressed because he wouldn't have a partner to study with in the library late at night."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Hermione." She looked over at Hermione, who was seated at the edge of her bed. "I still can't believe that your mum actually allowed you to live with your boyfriend."

"She was ecstatic about it," answered Hermione. "I reckon it's because she hasn't seen me happier."

"I take it she doesn't know her daughter will be living in sin with a professional Quidditch player?"

"Hey!" Hermione exclaimed defensively. "She was perfectly fine with it!"

"Uh-huh."

Hermione shook her head, amused. "I should get going. Harry could be wondering where I am."

"I'll see you around, then," said Cassandra quietly.

Hermione gave her a sad smile. "I'll miss you too, Cass."

~*~*~

December was a good month. Hermione's professors allowed her two weeks off for Christmas. She spent it with Harry, obviously. It was towards the end of December when it got bad. She and Harry were sitting in their living room, enjoying a modest night in. Hermione had her head rested on his lap, and they were watching a movie. When the credits rolled, Harry had suddenly brought up leaving the team.

"Why?" Hermione asked, shocked. Harry loved P. United. She couldn't even fathom why he wanted to leave so suddenly. "The team's doing great. You've even won the world cup."

"I know, it's just—just, I don't know. Suddenly, it just doesn't seem worth it." Harry explained with a shrug. "I feel like I've worn out my stay."

"Don't be silly, Harry."

"I'm not, I'm just… confused."

Hermione reached up and stroked his cheek. "Whatever path you choose, I'll support you."

Harry gave her a wry smile. "That's supposed to be the guy's line."

She laughed. "It is, isn't it?"

Harry bent down and kissed her. "Let's get to bed, then?"

Hermione nodded and stood up. She watched him walk towards his bedroom, _their_ bedroom. She smiled at his retreating figure. "Oh, and Harry?"

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"I love you,"

He grinned at her as she came towards him. He picked her up and carried her in his arms. "I love you, too."

~*~*~

By January, Harry was even more unsure about his career. He would tell Hermione every night lately that he wasn't sure anymore. Soon, he began skipping practices. Hermione was worried. She knew it wasn't good especially since the manager might start thinking of kicking him out. Hermione found out that they had an upcoming game. Even then, he refused to go to practice. They had to use a different Seeker, and ended up losing the game 750 – 250. To say Oliver was upset would be an understatement. Hermione had to make Harry promise that he would try to go to practice regularly.

One Saturday, Hermione came to the Quidditch field to apologize yet again for Harry missing practice. This time, it was for a good reason. Harry had gotten a high fever. Unbeknownst to Hermione, the team was holding a meeting without their Seeker. She was just about to knock on the door when she overheard Oliver speak.

"His behavior's out of line," He said angrily. "I don't understand. Does he think he's too good for the team now that he's won us the World Cup?"

"Easy, Wood," Ron replied. "I'm sure Harry will snap out of it."

"You'd better hope he does, Weasley," snarled Oliver. "If he doesn't, I'm afraid we'll have to replace him."

Hermione gasped. _Hopefully, it won't come to that._

"Don't do anything yet, Wood," drawled Malfoy. "I don't think it's him that's making him that way."

"Are you saying Hermione's the cause of this?" Ron asked, through clenched teeth.

"I'm just saying what everyone else is too afraid to say. Ever since Hermione's moved in with him, he's changed. He's been missing practices, skipping games."

Hermione felt her chest tighten. Were they going to make Harry break up with her?

"How come she's been coming over here nearly every week apologizing for him?" Dean pointed out.

"She's probably covering her tracks. She's a clever witch, aye?" Malfoy retorted.

"No," interrupted Oliver before a spat came about, "I don't think Hermione's causing this."

Hermione let out a breath of relief. So she and Harry would be fine.

"So what're you thinking? Harry's an arse?" asked one of the Beaters, Henry Finch.

"Possibly," Oliver grumbled. "I think we should replace him if he doesn't shape up by next week."

"So I take it this meeting's over and done with?" Malfoy asked, his chair screeching backwards. "I've got to meet up with Gin in ten minutes."

"Yes, it's over," replied Oliver. "Oh, and send Hermione in when you leave, will you? I think she's been standing out there for quite a while."

Hermione jumped as Draco opened the door. He shot her a grin while the team quietly left the room. She entered quietly and sat across Oliver on the long table.

"So, Hermione, you're here to apologize again?" Oliver asked with a pointed look.

Hermione blushed. "Well, yes," she admitted reluctantly, "but it's for a good reason!"

At this, Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"He caught a high fever. I checked his temp and everything. He's as sick as a dog."

Oliver sighed. "Alright. I'll believe you this time. You better tell Harry to shape up by next week, then. I really hope he'll start taking this career seriously."

"He will."

The manager nodded. "Alright. See you, Hermione."

"See you,"

She quickly left the room. On her way out, she passed by the locker rooms. Suddenly, she was pushed aside and pressed against the wall.

"Hello," Draco whispered huskily.

Hermione tried to push him away, but he was too strong for her. "Draco," she warned in a low, dangerous tone. "Let me go. You don't want to do this,"

"But I do. I've wanted to do so for such a long time," He replied, skimming his lips across her collarbone. His tongue darted out as he began to move lower.

Hermione finally shoved him off of her. "I love Harry!" She screamed shrilly.

Draco grinned naughtily. "I didn't ask for you to love me."

"I don't care. I'll only ever want to be with Harry."

"Just think about it."

"No,"

Draco masked him impatience with a smile. He tried another route. "You know, Harry's in danger of being replaced."

"I'm quite aware of that, yes," snapped Hermione, trying to get around him, but he blocked the entrance with his body.

"I know how to fix that problem,"

"Oh?" Hermione tried _not_ to look interested.

"I know a few people who can help Harry. I make it worth their while and they'll put in good word about Harry and his replacement will be history."

Hermione remained silent. "Will you _really_ do that?" She asked after several long moments.

"Of course. On one condition."

Hermione inwardly groaned. Draco was a greedy pig; she should've expected that from him. "What is it?"

"You be my girlfriend."

Hermione gaped at him. "I told you I only love Harry. I'll only _ever_ want to be with Harry."

Draco laughed. "I'm not telling you to break up with, Scarhead. I just want you to know you've got another boyfriend waiting for you too."

"I could only give all of me to Harry."

"Aw, how sweet," Malfoy said, deadpanned. "I just want you, love." He approached her again, trying to sneak his hands under her shirt.

Hermione pushed him away roughly. "No, not in a million years." She made to leave when Draco asked something that made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Oh, so you _want_ Harry to lose his job? You _want _him to be miserable?"

She had no reply for this. So when she didn't reply, Draco sauntered up to her. "Just think about it, Granger," He murmured softly in her ear. He pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek.

Hermione shuddered after he meandered away form her. Should she really cheat on Harry for his own benefit? Could she even do it? Would Draco keep to his promise? And how far would he want to take things with her? She shuddered again, disgusted with herself for thinking about being intimate with anyone else but Harry. _No_, she made up her mind. _I love Harry, but his job isn't worth infidelity._

~*~*~

Hermione opened the door to their flat. She heard Harry coughing like there was no tomorrow in their bedroom. "Hermione?" He called hoarsely. "Is that you?"

She smiled and took off her shoes and jacket. "Yes, it's me," She called back. She entered the bedroom and sat beside him. He was pale and sweating. She took the damp washcloth from the bedside table and wiped his sweaty forehead. "Hey you," she whispered, pressing her lips to his cheek.

"Hi," he replied before coughing again. "Bloody hell, I feel horrible."

"You _look_ horrible too."

Harry poked her stomach. "What was that Granger?"

"I said I love you too."

"Better," he said, smiling weakly.

"I've brought you some medicines from St. Mungo's. They're supposed to get rid of your cough and fever," said she, standing up and retrieving the brown paper bag. Its contents clinked against one another.

"Wonderful," replied Harry sarcastically. "More vials for sick Harry Potter."

"Hush you, and drink up," said Hermione as he sat up. She uncorked a pink potion.

With a slight grimace, he downed it, gagging afterwards. "It looks good, but it tastes horrible."

Hermione laughed. "You've got to take another one after dinner."

"How was Oliver? Pretty pissed, aye?"

She sighed. "Yes, but he's giving you until next week to pull yourself together."

Harry remained silent. His girlfriend took the chance to change into more comfortable clothing before sliding into the space beside him. She placed her head against the crook of his neck. Instinctively, Harry's arm came to wrap around her. "I'm sorry."

She looked up at him. "You've got nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes, I do," Harry persisted. "I've been nothing but an arse lately. You've been great to me. And Oliver, well, I understand why he'd want me gone. I feel like shite, because I don't even know what I want anymore. I mean, I've got so many options to choose one. And when I finally did, it feels like the wrong one to choose."

Hermione leant up and stroked his warm cheek. "Shh, you shouldn't get so angry. You'll get a fever again."

Harry felt all his blood run south at her close proximity. "I can't believe you cut me off," he whispered, his mouth suddenly dry. He pushed his lower lip out.

She grinned. "I don't exactly want to miss school when I've finally caught up. I shouldn't even be here, this close to you. I might catch what you have."

Harry glared at her. "Don't you dare leave me for a second, Granger."

Hermione snuggled closer to him as he lid down, trying to take a kip. "Not a chance, Potter," she whispered, pecking him chastely, "you're stuck with me."

While she watched him sleep, she couldn't help but remember Draco's deal. With revulsion, she quickly pushed the thought away. She was right before. Harry's job would never be worth infidelity.

~*~*~

**A/N: Alright, I know what you're thinking, how could Hermione ever think about cheating on Harry?! Well, that's what you're going to find out on the next chapter. You'll finally get to find out about her decision, so please, please, PLEASE REVIEW! We probably won't be updating as soon as we can if we don't get at least FIFTEEN reviews. Do you even know how little that is? Reviews are our drive to continue with the story. Seriously. If we don't get enough, we might not even want to continue this. So please leave a review.**


	6. Tell Me Why

**A/N: The dreaded break-up! Please keep up the reviews! Also, don't give this story up!**

Chapter Six: Tell Me Why

_Tell me why you cried, and why you lied to me._

_Well I gave you everything I had,_

_But you left me sitting on my own,_

_Did you have to treat me oh so bad?_

_All I do is hang my head and moan._

– The Beatles, _Tell Me Why_

Hermione felt nauseous. Harry had managed to get better and was soon back at the field, but Oliver was still having doubts about it him. He had told Hermione he caught Oliver looking through Seeker applicant folders. Harry decided to keep his career, so the fact that his own manager was caught looking through other Seeker files was a blow to his pride. As a result, Harry once again felt rather depressed and his enthusiasm drooped. Oliver was on the brink of replacing Harry yet again. And Hermione knew she had to do _something_.

She approached Draco shakily. It was already May, and the team was getting ready for their summer tour. Her anniversary with Harry was approaching quickly. The brunette finally caught Draco's gaze. Since Harry was at home (he had decided to call in sick for that day), it wouldn't look very inconspicuous that she was looking for Draco. After all, he was the only on practicing that day. With a smirk, he flew down and landed on the grass with a thump.

"Yes, Granger?" He drawled haughtily.

Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes. "D-do you remember that off you gave earlier this year?"

Draco's eyes darkened. "Yes, what about it?"

"I—I think I'll take you up on it."

His face broke out into a grin. "What made you change your mind?"

"Harry's in trouble again. I know you're the only person I can go to who can help him get out of it," replied Hermione, her chest tightening as Harry's grinning face flashed in front of her eyes.

Draco's grin widened and he bent forward and kissed her. Hermione didn't push him away this time. She felt a shudder go up his spine in revulsion. She wasn't responding though, and she kept her lips clamped shut to avoid anything Draco would try.

He pulled back, a look of dissatisfaction clouding his face. "You'll come around."

Hermione nodded stiffly, feeling something rise up in her throat.

"You shouldn't feel so guilty," Draco said, his lips touching her ear. "It's for Harry, right?"

She finally found her voice. "Right. It's for Harry."

~*~*~

It was the twenty-ninth of July. The day Hermione waited for the most and dreaded. Draco had kissed her loads of times by then. He never sneaked his tongue into hers or anything, but it didn't stop him from trying. When Hermione came back from the Quidditch pitch that day she agreed to Draco's offer, she had retched in the bathroom for who knows how long. Harry was concerned, hoping she wasn't pregnant. Hermione, of course, assured him it was nothing like that and that she had just caught a bug going around.

On the morning of the twenty-ninth of July, Hermione woke up in a soft warm bed in the Czech Republic. She had once again joined Harry for their summer tour but was leaving early near the end of August, much to Harry's dismay. The first thing she saw that morning was Harry's sleeping face with a tender smile on it. She suddenly felt a rush of guilt as she had felt millions of times over the months lately.

She looked at his face, memorizing every single feature, curve, angle, and whatnot. She loved everything about this wizard. She loved him so much, that she wanted to be happy. And that want was so strong; she was actually shoved into committing infidelity. With another powerful force of guilt crashing down on her, she felt tears come to her eyes. She quickly threw off the bed cover, pulled on the first robe she could see (which incidentally happened to be Harry's), and locked herself in the bathroom.

Harry woke, blinking away his bleariness. He sighed again as he heard Hermione retch in the bathroom. The stomach bug she was having was lasting rather lengthily. When all he could hear was her quiet breathing, he slid pulled on his boxer shorts and knocked quietly on the bathroom door. "Hermione, love, are you alright?" He asked softly.

When Hermione didn't reply right away, he unlocked the door with a flick of his wrist. Hermione was seated on the toilet with the cover down. She was dressed in his robe. Her elbows were rested on her knees and her face was buried in her hands. She was sobbing quietly.

"Hermione? Is—is something the matter?" He asked, afraid she might get mad at him.

She shook her head softly and began to wipe away her tears. "I—I'm fine. Really," she replied, putting on a brave smile.

"I hate seeing you like this on our anniversary," He said, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands.

"I'm sorry," she whispered truthfully. "I didn't mean to—"

"Don't be silly," admonished Harry lightly, hugging her to him. "It's not your fault."

Hermione said nothing, but she clung onto him. "I'm so, so, so sorry," she whispered, sobs wracking her body.

Harry didn't question her apologies, but he wanted to know what was so wrong. "Come on," he said, carrying her in his arms. He lay her down on the bed and kneeled by the edge beside her. He stroked her cheek affectionately. "I love you, Hermione,"

She felt even guiltier before. "I love you too. So, so, so much," she said, her tears coming down even faster. "You have to believe me. I love you,"

"Of course, I do," said Harry, cupping her cheeks. Suddenly, he grinned. "I know what will make you feel better."

"What—? Harry," she said, but he already left for the other room.

~*~*~

_Harry proposed to me!_ Hermione thought dizzily. Then a wave nausea and guilt came over her as she looked at the gold band with a solitaire diamond resting on her ring finger of her left hand. It was a cool September morning. She was in hers and Harry's bedroom, lying on the bed. She had woken up some time before dawn, and didn't make any movement to get up and start the day. It was going to be her 21st birthday that day.

Sighing, she sat up and twisted the ring around her finger while biting her lip. Harry was coming over that day since it was her birthday. He had something in store for her, but he told her it was a surprise. Hermione chewed harder on her lip as she thought about Harry. He'd been so sweet and understanding to her. She was just a cheating slag. Even though she told Draco the deal was broken, she still felt filthy.

As soon as she was done showering, Hermione stepped onto the weighing scale. Squinting at the small numbers, she sighed. She'd lost seven pounds in the last month. Clearly, this wasn't healthy. After getting dressed, Hermione drank cup after cup of black coffee, trying to take out the taste of bitter vomit in her mouth.

It wasn't long before she heard the door open and Harry poked his head in. "Hermione?" He called quietly.

"I'm in here," she called back from the kitchen.

Harry grinned at the sight of her. After all, he hadn't seen his fiancée in nearly a month. "Hey," he said, kissing her forehead tenderly. He finally caught a good glimpse of her pale face. "Have you been having morning sickness again?" He asked, his brow furrowing in concern. "Maybe you should go to St. Mungo's."

"I already did," she replied honestly. She had scheduled an appointment as soon as she arrived in London. "I'm fine. They checked my symptoms and everything. I'm not pregnant, I just caught a bug."

"Are you sure?" He asked, kneeling in front of her and taking her face in his hands.

Hermione wanted to melt at the worried look in his eyes. Silently, she nodded. "I'm sure," she whispered softly.

"I've been worried about you lately. You've been retching nearly every morning now. It took all of my willpower to stay on the tour when you Owled me that you had the stomach bug again."

"I'm sorry. I'm such a bother, aren't I?"

Harry shook his head, ridding the ridiculous thought. "No! No, of course not! Hermione, I love you. You would never be a bother to me."

She sniffed one last time before Harry urgently pressed his lips to hers. Hermione was taken aback for a while before responding with a passion she never knew she had. She was kissing him desperately now, clinging to him as if he would disappear if she let him go. Harry picked her up in a deft movement, deepening the kiss. He could taste the bitter taste of coffee in her mouth with the slightest taste of mint from her toothpaste. It was so uniquely Hermione. He hastily led her into their bedroom, dropping her onto the bed where she left her sleeping clothes.

They broke the kiss for a moment as Hermione pulled of Harry's shirt. Impatiently, Hermione yanked his face back to hers. Groaning as she arched against him, Harry ripped open her blouse, sending buttons everywhere.

"Harry," she whimpered, "what about my surprise?"

Harry chuckled. "You'll get it soon, I promise."

~*~*~

His surprise was a road trip around the country. He knew Hermione needed to get away for a while, and he thought this would be the best way to do so. They spent the entire day out, and Hermione couldn't have been happier. There was only one thing bothering her that day, and it was Harry. She felt so guilty about committing unfaithfulness to him. But she tried as hard as she could to keep her chin up and try to be happy with her fiancé.

When they arrived home that night, Harry had yet another surprise for her.

"What is it?" She asked quietly. She had enough of his surprises, (the guilt was too much for her to bear) and just wanted to curl up in bed.

Harry just grinned mischievously. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out."

Hermione hid her impatience. "_Harry_," she whined.

"_Hermione_," he mimicked before disappearing out of their bedroom

She fidgeted nervously on the sofa she was seated. Harry finally came back into their bedroom with his hands behind his back. He looked like the proverbial cat that got the canary. "I've got something for you," he murmured, showing her a velvet box.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat. "Harry—" she started.

But he already popped the box open revealing a golden wedding ring. Hermione felt guilt bubble up within her, and started to tear up again.

Harry nervously fingered the ring, mistaking her tears for happiness. "I just hope this fits, really. I know we've been moving pretty fast, but—"

She finally released a loud sob and began crying. Harry quickly kept the ring in his pocket. He pulled her to him and embraced her tightly. "Hermione, love, what's wrong?"

Mustering all her willpower, Hermione pushed him away. "I—I can't do this anymore," she said.

"If you didn't want to get married, why'd you say yes? I'd've been fine waiting until you were ready," Harry whispered, his voice filled with confusion.

"No, it's not—I just—" she took a deep breath and tried to stave of her new tears, "—I don't deserve you, Harry."

"No, you're wrong. _I _don't deserve _you_." He argued softly.

"No! You don't understand!" Hermione yelled shrilly, standing up defiantly.

"Then help me understand!" Harry shouted back.

She shook her head. "I can't."

"Hermione—"

"I cheated on you."

Harry was silent for a while, staring at her shocked. "What?" He asked.

"I cheated on you with—with Draco."

Harry was shaking his head now, slowly backing away from Hermione. "No. No, Hermione, you couldn't have. You couldn't—" He stopped himself and looked up at her, his eyes moist.

"Harry, I'm so, so sorry," Hermione whispered pathetically.

Harry was deadly silent for a moment and then he asked icily, "And how long have you been carrying on with him?"

Hermione dreaded this question. "S-since early May."

Harry growled violently. "So," he turned around and looked at her with such venom, "have you shagged him yet?"

Hermione shook her head. "No! Harry, I've only ever been intimate with you. I only love _you_."

He snorted. "You've got a great way of showing it." He said sarcastically.

She timidly walked over to him. "Please, Harry. I'm so sorry," she whispered, grasping onto his upper arm.

In a swift movement, Harry backhanded her, and Hermione fell backwards. "Don't touch me," he hissed.

Hermione clutched her stinging cheek, and stood up. "Harry—"

"Get out."

"But—"

He cast an icy look at her, and before Hermione could catch her breath, she was clutching her stomach in sheer pain. Was Harry doing this to her?

Before she could look up to see his expression, the pain faded away, but the bedroom door banged open, nearly rocking off its hinges. "I said get out." Harry snarled.

Hermione quickly left the room and the door slammed shut behind her. She wiped away more tears as she picked up a few of her belongings with her. Grabbing as much as she could and shrinking them in her pocket, she left the flat.

~*~*~

**A/N: Let's step up the reviews, shall we? : D Maybe 30+? If it's not too much to ask. Leave a review! Your thoughts are much appreciated!**


	7. Too Much To Ask

**A/N: Hello! This is the latest update to _Everything Will Be Alright_. We hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Also, just in case you get confused, this story moves rather fast. It may jump from month to month, or sometimes day to day. But don't worry, we've put little context clues on what month it is and all. **

**And please, please, PLEASE review! As I've said, these are the things that make us want to continue working on the story, knowing that it's actually worth working hard for. We hope you can at least step up the reviews more. We don't want to sound like review whores, but seriously, people, we need _some_ motivation to continue writing. Could we maybe step it up to 45+/50+?**

Chapter Seven: Too Much To Ask

_The smiles as she walked in the room have all turned into frowns,  
Am I too quick to assume that the love is no longer in bloom? _

– Arctic Monkeys, _Too Much To Ask_

Cassandra Davies had had the best day she could ever remember. Her relationship with Henry was finally moving somewhere, she aced three of her quizzes, and she raised her class performance higher. She was just about to go to sleep and have a good night's rest when someone started banging on the door. Grumbling to herself, Cassandra threw the door open and was face-to-face with her old roommate.

Hermione stood before her, her eyes red and puffy and tears were running down her face hurriedly. "I'm so sorry. I know it's late but—"

Cassandra quickly shushed her before ushering her into the room. In no time, Hermione was lying on her old bed (after Cassandra had cleared her things off of it), in one of Cassandra's pajamas. "Now," said Cassandra, sitting on her own bed across Hermione, "what happened?"

Hermione explained everything, the deal, the engagement, and the break-up. When she finished she burst into tears again. "I was such an idiot, Cass! You should've seen his face when he found out! I feel like such a—such a… slag."

"You're not a slag, Hermione," Her friend chastised. "I just can't believe he hit you."

Hermione shook her head. "I deserved it. He—he used the Cruciatus on me."

The redhead gaped at her. "He did wh—?"

"I don't think he meant to," Hermione interjected hastily. "You know as much as I do how capable Harry is when it comes to wandless magic."

"It doesn't give him an excuse, Hermione,"

"It's alright. Harry—Harry did what was right. The break-up, well, it was a long time coming."

Cassandra shook her head, crawling back under the covers. "I just can't believe this."

Hermione lid down and clicked off the light. She snuggled under the blanket Cassandra had lent her as new tears formed in her eyes. "Cass?"

"Yes?"

"Could you please do me a favor?"

"Anything. What is it?"

"Do you think you could pick up my stuff from Harry's flat? I don't think I could bear it if I had to go myself and he was there—"

"Of course I'd do it. Now, get some rest, Hermione."

~*~*~

Harry woke up blearily as he heard banging on his front door. Out of habit, he reached over to his side for Hermione but felt cool bed sheets. And then all of the memories of the previous night flooded back into him. He'd broken up with her. For good this time. He looked at the glow-in-the-dark bedside clock. Half of the day was already over. He groaned, remembering how Hermione always woke him up early so he could get to practice on time. Finally, he pulled a shirt on and answered the door.

"About bloody time you answered the bloody door!" Ron exclaimed, pushing himself through the door. "Where the hell have you been? Oliver's raving mad, Harry!"

"It's fine," Harry said, running a hand through his messy hair. "I'm quitting anyway,"

Ron's eyebrows shot up as he looked over at his best friend. He looked awful. His eyes were red-rimmed and the redhead could clearly see the five o'clock shadow on his face. More importantly, he didn't see Hermione bustling around the kitchen looking for something to feed her guest, or studying casually at the living room. In fact, all of her books and notes were gone from the coffee table. "Did something happen with Hermione?"

Harry ran another hand through his hair. "Hermione and I broke up."

"What? Why?"

"She was fucking cheating on me since May."

Ron shook his head in disbelief. "That doesn't sound like Hermione."

"Well, it is, alright?" Harry snapped. He didn't like talking about it, as the wounds were still fresh.

"Well," Ron said awkwardly, "there are other girls out there, mate."

Harry shook his head this time, almost in a regretful manner. "Not like Hermione."

"Then kiss and make up,"

"Ron," Harry said, shaking his head, "it's not that simple."

An awkward silence passed between the two friends. Suddenly, Ron said, "So, I guess I'll be telling Oliver about your resignation?"

The raven-haired man didn't crack a smile. "Yeah. Sorry,"

"S'alright."

"I just don't know _why_ though," Harry murmured absently.

"Why what?"

"Why she cheated. Did I neglect her too much?"

"I don't think it's that, Harry. Something about this isn't right."

"You should get going," said Harry rudely. "I don't want to get fired."

Ron nodded and quickly left the flat.

~*~*~

Cassandra jumped nervously from one foot to another as he stood outside of Harry's flat. She'd only brought two boxes and one carpetbag with her for Hermione's things. She'd just knocked on the mahogany door and was waiting for Harry to answer.

He opened the door and gave her a cool glare. "Yes?" He asked snidely.

The redhead returned his cold stare. "I'm just here to pick up Hermione's things." She pushed herself into the flat. "Surely, you don't mind."

Harry narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Not at all." He opened the closet near the door and slipped his jacket on. "I'll be gone for an hour or so."

"I'm only going to touch Hermione's things. I'll be out of here before you return," Cassandra answered frostily.

With one last glance at her, Harry quickly left the flat.

~*~*~

When Harry returned, he was feeling rather guilty. He had managed to slip out through the Leaky Cauldron without arousing any suspicion. He stayed in a pub and drank himself until he was halfway drunk. A particularly attractive looking girl had sat next to him and flirted with him. In the end, he had nearly snogged her before pushing away, feeling guilty about doing this to Hermione. He shook his head, warding away the feeling. _She_ should be the one feeling guilty. Not him.

He opened the door to his flat and the first thing he noticed was the sudden appearance of space. True to her word, Cassandra had only taken Hermione's belongings and left. Without noticing it, Harry had begun to feel rather sullen. He sat down on the sofa, fondly remembering how Hermione would rest her head on his lap. He glanced around, trying to get used to the unusual show of space. The desk was cleared of Hermione's books and papers for her university. All of her clothes were removed from his closet. Her toiletries were removed. (It was with a pang of remorse that Harry recalled catching Hermione shaving her legs with his shaver.) The bed was large and empty and no longer had some of her pastel colored throw pillows. Her alarm clock was taken away, as well as her novels, which she kept by the nightstand to do a little reading before she went to sleep. Her reading glasses were no longer in their usual place by the bedside lamp. Her jackets and shoes were also taken.

Harry hated himself for it, but he missed Hermione. He missed her lively laugh. He missed her bright smile that could light up any room. He missed the small mole hidden behind her right ear. He missed the scar she had on her shoulder from an accident when she was a little girl. He missed the way she would crack her knuckles in the shower. He missed how she'd get easily annoyed whenever her hair fell in the way of her eyes. He missed the small dimple slightly above the left corner of her lip. He missed how she'd always have a pen around with her. He missed Hermione. And there was nothing he could do about it.

Suddenly, the house creaked, interrupting Harry's thoughts. It was then when he noticed how he hadn't heard it in a long time. The house was empty and quiet, so the sounds of it creaking would echo throughout the house more often. And Harry, much like his house, was feeling rather empty.

~*~*~

"Hermione, you're being ridiculous,"

"I am not. Now, please, move away. You're blocking the light."

"No, I will not. Hermione Jane Granger, burying yourself in your studies will not solve this problem."

Hermione made an impatient noise and looked up at her redheaded roommate, who had placed her hands on her hips. "You should go fix things with Harry."

The brunette shook her head. "I most certainly will not. Things are over between us, Cassie. Over. As in, it's finished."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "I know very well what 'over' means, Hermione. But I honest—"

An incessant ringing interrupted her. "What is _that_?" She asked, annoyed. Hermione had paled at the sound as her stomach churned. "Hermione?" Her friend asked, suddenly noticing how queasy she looked. "Are you all—?"

Hermione interrupted her and ran straight for the bathroom. Cassandra held up her hair while she retched, and sighed. "Hermione, why don't you go to a doctor?" She asked intolerantly.

The brown-haired witch shook her head and washed her face. "It's just a stomach bug." She hadn't convinced herself though, or her friend. Everyday now for the past three weeks at precisely three fifty-two in the afternoon Hermione would feel a wave of nausea. Cassandra was beginning to grow suspicious.

"Are you sure you're not—?"

"I'm not," Hermione said shortly.

Cassandra sighed tiredly and watched as her roommate sat on the toilet and covered her face with her hands. "I just don't know what's happening to me anymore," The brunette sobbed.

"Hermione," Cassandra replied comfortingly, "everything will work out. You know it will."

She wiped her eyes. "I don't think I can do this anymore,"

The redhead gaped at her. "Hermione, you can't be—"

"I've been thinking of leaving lately, Cassie,"

"Because of what happened with Harry? Hermione…"

"Not just because of Harry. This place holds to many memories of him. And I'm not just talking about the school, but London in general just brings back memories. I'm never going to move on if I keep thinking about him. And school… well, I just don't think I can handle learning anymore about magic,"

"What do you mean?" Cassandra was starting to get confused. One of Hermione's greatest dreams was to teach at Hogwarts.

"I'm thinking about transferring universities,"

She gasped. "Hermione, you can't."

Hermione shook her head dejectedly. "I have to. I've already told my mum, and she said she'd move with me. I found a Muggle university just as good as this one."

Realizing she couldn't do anything to change Hermione's mind, she asked, "Where will you be going?"

"Sheffield. It's quite nice there."

"You know, I think Colin mentioned transferring there when you were still… you know. Except he's going to a magical university,"

Hermione smiled a bit. "Really? It would be nice to see a friendly face while I'm there,"

"You're really not going to stay? I mean, it's our last year, Hermione. You were really close."

"I know, but it's for the best."

Cassandra sighed as she felt her eyes well up. "When do you leave?"

"End of December."

The redhead girl sighed again. That wasn't to far off. It was already the end of November. "I'm going to miss you,"

Hermione smiled slightly. "I'm going to miss you too."

~*~*~

"Harry, mate, you've got to move,"

The raven-haired young man raised his head from the pillow. "What?" He asked sleepily, trying to look at his best friend through the blinding sunlight.

"You've got to move around, Harry," Ron said again. "This can't be too good for your health."

"Ron," Harry growled, trying to keep his patience in check, "damn it, I understand your concern, but I'd appreciate if you wouldn't come at the bloody crack of dawn."

The youngest male Weasley tried not to laugh. "Harry, it's nearly noon. Get your lazy arse up."

Harry murmured something about redheaded bastards before falling back asleep. Sighing tiredly, Ron went to the end of the bend and pulled of his best mate's blanket in one swift motion.

"RON!" Harry bellowed. He didn't exactly fancy the idea of Ron seeing him in just his boxers. "Give me that blanket back! It's bloody freezing!"

"No, I will not. It's time for you to get up and get over Hermione."

Harry grumbled but sat up, searching around for his jeans. "Are you going to take me somewhere?" He asked, pulling his jeans up and zipping it closed. He had really wanted to remain in bed that day. He was having a very vivid dream of a naked Hermione, a bowl of warm chocolate fondue, and a very nice soft bed. He knew he was only making things worse by thinking about her so often, but he couldn't help it. During the day, he tried as hard as he could to keep the brunette out of his mind but failed several times. During the night, it was helpless. In dreams, she would sneak in and caress his face as if they were back together. In dreams, everything was back to normal. Everything was perfect.

"Luna and I are going to take you around Muggle London," Ron announced proudly. "Maybe even around the country."

"At the beginning January?" Harry asked incredulously. "Ron, it's the bloody coldest month of the year!"

"Well, so what? We're taking the car, anyway."

Realizing that Ron was never going to give up, Harry sighed, defeated. "Alright, but I get to ride shotgun."

~*~*~

"Where are we again?" Harry asked as they entered a small coffee shop to grab something warm to eat and drink before they were back on the road again.

"Sheffield. We're just stopping over here for a while before hitting the road to London," Ron replied, trying to look over the heads of the long line ahead of him. It seemed as though everybody had the same idea of grabbing a warm cup of coffee in the midst of the cold.

Ron and Luna had taken Harry everywhere around England, making sure they were places Harry had never been to with Hermione. Of course, it managed to keep his mind off of her for a moment before he would think about taking her a certain place one day, only to have the sad reality hit him over the head. But the whole day wasn't bad. Ron had managed to propose to Luna while they had visited Chatsworth house.

Just as the line started to move, Luna's eyes widened, "Look over there, Ronald!" She exclaimed, pointing to a brown-haired woman in an overly large beige jacket and jean. "Is that Hermione?"

At the mention of her name, Harry's head swiveled to look for her. _She couldn't be here… could she? _Hermione had turned around to laugh at something the cashier had said. _She looks good,_ Harry couldn't help but think. But he couldn't help but notice that something was missing in her face. He tried to scan it as best as he could from how far he was. And then it hit him. It was her eyes. Yes, they were still the same chocolate brown he always loved, but it was missing the glow, the glow that would reveal how happy she was. But now, that glow was gone, and replaced by a mask, a wall hiding away all the emotion she was feeling.

Her beige zip-up jacket was open, revealing a large black t-shirt. Harry had a fleeting thought of why she was wearing clothes too big for her, but pushed it away from his mind. Harry's mind suddenly snapped back to his friends, who were arguing on whether to call out to Hermione or not.

Before Harry or Ron could stop her though, Luna turned back around and called out, "Hermione!"

Hermione quickly scanned the area, looking for anyone who would call out to her. And then her eyes rested on three people. She looked at Ron, who was scanning the floor with mild interest. She looked at Luna, who was quite happy to see her and was grinning widely. And then her breath caught in her throat. She saw Harry. He looked tired. His eyes weren't as bright as she remembered them to be, and they were darting around everywhere in the small coffee shop, as if too afraid to look at her.

Luna bounced over to her happily with the two boys following rather reluctantly. "Hermione!" She exclaimed yet again. "It's been so long since I've last seen you,"

"Hello Luna," The brunette replied politely and quietly.

"How are you?" Luna asked sincerely.

"I've been doing well," Hermione replied, rubbing her stomach unconsciously.

Luna's eyes flicked down towards it, before flicking them back up to Hermione's face, which looked slightly anxious as the bright witch bit her lower lip. "All right there, Hermione?" Ron asked, finally speaking as he noticed the worried look on her face.

Hermione put on a forced smile. "Yes, I'm quite fine. Thank you, Ron." She quickly dropped her hand from her stomach.

"You know, you look different," Ron observed, eyeing her curiously.

"I do?" Hermione squeaked, glancing quickly at Harry, then back to Ron.

"Yeah, it looks like you've put a bit of weight, actually,"

Luna gasped and hit Ron behind his head. "Ronald!"

"Well, I meant that it was a good thing that you aren't such a stick anymore," Ron covered hastily, playfully trying to poke her stomach. But before he could even press his finger to his stomach, she stepped back quickly.

"Sorry," Hermione apologized quickly with a small, forced smile. "My stomach's been hurting lately,"

"D'you still have that stomach bug?" Harry asked incredulously with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"No. I've just been having a few stomach aches," She replied evasively, while avoiding his gaze. After fidgeting in an uncomfortable silence, Hermione said, "I'm sorry, I've got to go," She quickly passed behind them but stopped abruptly when Luna called out to her.

"Perhaps we could visit you sometime," The blonde suggested.

"I would like that very much," Hermione lied. "I'm really sorry, but I've got to go."

"Could we have your address at least?" Ron asked, finally understanding what Luna was doing.

"Oh. Yes. Um, it's #24, Dove Street. It's not far from here. My mum's living with me, so if you drop by and I might not be there, you could always keep her company." Hermione said.

"Thank you, we'll see you around, Herms," Ron said, pecking her cheek in a sisterly fashion.

With an anxious smile, Hermione left them. Luna shared a curious glance with her fiancé. She wasn't entirely sure, but it seemed as though Hermione was hiding something. And she was determined to find out.

~*~*~


	8. D Is For Dangerous

**A/N: Early update! Happy Valentine's day to all! And I hope you like this chapter, we're approaching the climax. Also, CheshireCat85 and I have been working on this for most of the time, so I hope you guys review. We tried to get this out on Valentine's, so we hope you guys like it! Also, please review! We need them! :)**

Chapter Eight: D Is For Dangerous

_He's nearing the brink but he thinks first,  
The parallel universe perhaps could be the perfect scene,_

– Arctic Monkeys, _D Is For Dangerous_

Hermione shut the door to her house rather loudly, making Eleanor Granger look up from the book she was reading in the living room. "Hermione?" She called out after she heard only silence. "Is that you, love?"

"Yes," her daughter replied tiredly, "it's me, mum." She followed the sound of her mother's voice like a lost child and sat on a settee, dumping her bag by her feet. "Good afternoon,"

"Tired?" Dr. Granger asked with a smile. "You know that isn't good for the baby. Dr. Smith won't like hearing about this,"

"Honestly, mum! I'm not going to explode, I'm just a tad tired is all," Hermione explained, smiling slightly at her mother.

"I'm just worried," the older woman explained defensively. "What's got you so knackered anyway?"

"I met a couple of people today while I was at the café, talking to Megan," Hermione answered, reminding her mother of her new friend, Megan Stone, who was the owner and cashier of the quaint café.

"And who was it that you met?"

Hermione looked at her lap and mumbled something unintelligible.

Dr. Granger smiled knowingly. "I didn't quite catch that, sweet,"

"I met Ron, Luna, and—and Harry," Hermione said after taking a deep breath.

"I see, and?"

"Well, it was probably the most awkward meeting on earth. Luna and Ron want to visit sometime though,"

"And Harry? What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything. I reckon he was still in shock."

"Did you tell him about the baby?"

"You mean the child that is currently growing in my abdomen, which will be due in May? Then, no, I didn't breathe a word about it to him."

"He didn't even suspect?"

"Ron and Luna did. But I think my shirt was big enough to hide my constantly expanding stomach from Harry."

"You shouldn't be afraid to hide your baby bump. You should be quite proud to show it off."

The younger woman rolled her eyes. "And show how irresponsible I was? Show that the father of my child doesn't have any idea that it's his? Make it look like I was abandoned to raise the baby all on my own? No, thank you, mum. Not to mention my university would probably kick me out if they found out I was pregnant."

"I still think it's a little dangerous to the baby's health if you keep putting those spells on him,"

"It's just a little concealment charm. I always take it off as soon as I get home."

"But still,"

Hermione frowned and her mother decided to change the topic a bit. "So what do you think you'll name him?"

"I don't even know the gender yet. I think it would be best if it were a surprise. But I did pick out a few names. If it's a girl, I was thinking of Lily or Vivien. And for a boy, I was thinking of James, or Gem **(read as Ghem)**."

"I think those are very lovely name, Hermione,"

Hermione grinned proudly. "Thank you, I asked Colin to help me pick them out."

Eleanor smiled at the mention of the young Irish man. "Speaking of which, how is he? He hasn't been over as much lately,"

"He's been too busy to come over. His university is busier than mine, since it's magical,"

"You know, I still don't understand why you've stopped going to the wizarding world,"

"I haven't stopped, really. I just—They can't know I'm pregnant. If I go back to the magical university, they'll see right through my concealment charm. And if word gets out that Harry Potter's ex-girlfriend is pregnant, well, things wouldn't be too good. It's best I stay out of the wizarding world until the baby is born," Hermione didn't know who she was trying to convince, her mother or herself. She had thought for a while of telling Harry about the baby, but quickly shoved it aside. _It's better this way_, she thought stubbornly. Well, at least, she hoped it was.

~*~*~

Luna knocked nervously on the door of Hermione's house is Sheffield. Ron hadn't been able to come because of the practices the team was starting for their upcoming summer tour. Harry obviously wouldn't come, so she was on her own. It had been more than a month since she, Ron, and Harry had met her in the café. Since the weather was warming up a bit, Luna was only wearing a light sweater and a thin jacket over it.

The door opened quietly startling Luna out of her thoughts. Standing before her looked like a much older Hermione with rectangular glasses resting upon the bridge of her nose and gray hair meshing with her chestnut brown curls. "Hello," the older lady greeted politely.

"Hello, Dr. Granger," Luna replied, smiling. "I don't believe we've met, but Hermione used to talk about you. I'm Luna Lovegood,"

"Oh!" Dr. Granger exclaimed, ushering Luna to enter. "Hermione mentioned you might be coming over. Come in, come in."

Luna smiled brightly and entered, taking in the cozy house. "When does Hermione get back?" She couldn't help but ask as Dr. Granger left her sitting on the sofa to fetch her some tea.

"She should be back anytime soon, actually," the dentist replied from the kitchen. "I have to leave for work soon, so I hope she returns to quickly so she can keep you company. If you'd like, I could call her on her mobile,"

"Oh, no," the blonde witch replied hastily. "It isn't necessary for her to rush home on my account."

The witch being talked about, though, was standing right outside her front door, trying to unlock it with her house keys. When she finally went inside, she quickly took off her jacket and called out, "Mum! I'm home!"

She undid the concealment charm over her stomach, which had grown rather largely now that she only had three months left of pregnancy, and watched as her stomach expanded, stretching the extra-large blue shirt. She sniffed the air and smelled the familiar scent of her mother's delicious chamomile tea mixed with honey and paired with freshly bake Jaffa cakes.

"Mmm, what's that?" Hermione asked, entering the living room to go into the kitchen. "It smells—"

Hermione, however, stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of her blonde friend seated on the sofa and sipping some tea. Luna, as well, could not believe what she was seeing. Hermione was still the same beautiful young lady she had seen a month ago, except she had a huge baby bump now.

"Luna," Hermione began, forcing a smile, "what're you doing here?"

"You said I could come to visit anytime, and," Luna explained calmly, "it should be you explaining to me here, actually. What happened to you?"

Hermione bit her lip and sat down across the blonde on her favorite settee. "I'm pregnant,"

Luna couldn't suppress the giggle from escaping her lips. "I can see that, Hermione,"

The brunette smiled genuinely for the first time she entered the house and let out a mirth laugh. "Yes, I know."

"Whose is it?" Luna asked gently.

Hermione began chewing on her lip again in anxiety and looked away ashamedly. "I've never been intimate with anyone but Harry,"

Luna couldn't help but feel relieved that. At least she had never gone far with Draco. "Does he know?"

"No, and please, Luna, don't tell him," Hermione pleaded, tears filling her eyes.

"Hermione, he had as much to do with this as you do."

"I know, but I can't do this to him,"

"Do what?" Luna was incredulous. "Show him the product of your love?"

"No, I can't be around him." The brown-eyed witch finally looked into Luna's silvery grey ones. "If I'm seen with him, the press will hound him and the last thing Harry needs is less privacy. Besides, I don't want to bother him with something this stupid,"

"_Stupid_? Hermione, this is anything but stupid. If you'd just tell Harry, he'd help in anyway he could. He wouldn't abandon you."

"I know. That's exactly why Harry can't know. He'd be too busy with me to focus on his career. I don't want to deprive him of that."

Luna had never liked dwelling on rather dramatic topics, so she took this opening to change it. "Speaking of which, Ron caught Harry looking at Auror school brochures. I think he's going to become an Auror."

Hermione smiled fondly as she thought of him. "I always knew he'd choose that career. It's just a natural part of him to always save the day."

"Oh, yes, Draco and Ginny have broken up. And well, let's just say Draco wasn't able to play in quite a while,"

"How are Harry and Draco by the way? I know they were best mates before I came along."

"Don't blame yourself at all, Hermione. Draco's and Harry's friendship was strained before you even got together with Harry."

"And what did Harry do to Draco after he, you know, found out?"

"Things were a bit awkward at first, but eventually, Harry—" Luna stopped. "Never mind, it isn't important,"

"Why don't you just tell me, Luna? I'm a big girl, I can handle whatever it is."

The blonde sighed. "Harry—well, he forgave Draco."

Hermione's face fell and her stomach dropped. She quickly put on a bright smile for Luna. "Oh. Well, that's great. It's wonderful that they managed to salvage their friendship."

"Hermione—"

"It's fine, Luna,"

Luna was not wavered, however, by her boorish interruption. "Hermione, I know you're upset that Harry forgave Draco and not you. But think about it, he's not had the chance to talk to you in ages."

"He wouldn't want to anyway. And I perfectly understand his reasons. He and Harry were best mates before I came into the picture. By the way, before you leave, I'd very much appreciate it if you wouldn't tell Harry about my pregnancy."

For the first time in a while, Luna had no response.

"I, um, I've got an appointment with my doctor in a few minutes, so if you'll excuse me," Hermione shakily got to her feet and left for the bathroom.

Luna caught on quickly and stood up as well. She hastily tugged her jacket back on and left to tell Ron about everything.

~*~*~

Harry sighed as he gulped down another screwdriver in one swallow. "Another," He slurred to the bartender. The bartender merely nodded and handed him another.

He was sitting in some pub in London. He'd taken to doing that often now. To say he wasn't doing well would be an understatement. Seeing Hermione moving on and happy opened some wounds and he had marveled at how fast she forgot about their old relationship.

"I'll have a margarita, please," A woman's voice told the bartender, interrupting Harry's thoughts.

He blinked blearily as his mind registered the familiar voice. He tried to think over and over but he just couldn't. And then she spoke again, "Harry? Harry, is that you?"

He blinked a few more times as a flash of red hair appeared in front of him. "Um, Ginny, right?" He said, rubbing an eye.

The youngest Weasley nodded. "Yeah. You got it right. How're you holding up?"

"I think how I am now shows it,"

"Sorry, stupid question."

"S'alright."

Ginny bit her lip and looked into his green eyes. "I'm sorry about Hermione."

"I'm sorry about Draco."

The redhead let out an unladylike snort. "Yes, well, it looks as if we hooked up with two arseholes."

"Here, here!" Harry said, raising his glass.

"You're drunk, aren't you?" Ginny smirked.

"May-be," Harry slurred, laughing loudly.

The redhead suddenly turned serious. "Do you think we'll ever find someone else?" She asked timidly. She had really loved Draco, and she didn't know if she could find anyone else.

"I don't know," Harry answered truthfully. He felt a pang as an image of Hermione smiling brightly at him appeared in front of his eyes. He had begun to toy with the idea of trying to get back with her. After all, how often would he meet a girl like Hermione?

"Maybe who we're looking for is right in front of our eyes," Ginny suggested, biting her bottom lip in a fashion similar to Hermione's. She scooted closer to Harry.

"Maybe," replied the raven-haired man, still thinking about Hermione. His eyes suddenly snapped back to the redhead in front of him, whose face was mere inches away. He was starting to feel rather unnerved now.

"Gin…" He said, trying to tell her to move away. Suddenly, instead of Ginny, Hermione appeared before him. He felt himself fill with desire and longing as he stared at her beautiful face. "Herm—"

"You smell like alcohol," Ginny laughed, their faces moving closer and closer.

And then it was with a flutter of eyelids that their lips met in a soft kiss.

~*~*~

Hermione woke up a few minutes before her alarm clock was supposed to go off. She sighed and swung her legs over the edge of her bed, and patted her stomach. It was Valentine's Day, but Hermione didn't feel like spending it out too much. She didn't feel like watching happy couples show off their luckiness.

Shaking her head, she quickly showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes. With her stomach grumbling, she waddled into the kitchen, trying to remember her grandmother's recipe for French toast.

After a while, Hermione was seated with slices of bacon and dozens of pieces of French toast on the small kitchen table. She remembered fondly how Harry would greet her with a grateful kiss every morning. But just as she was slipping away from reality, a tap on her window sounded throughout the quiet house. Hermione looked over to find the owl for her newspaper waiting impatiently outside of the small kitchen window.

She paid for it (giving it a little tip) and started to read. But the headline wasn't about anything like politics or Auror raids. In big bold letters, it read, "**POTTER HAS NEW LOVE**". Below it was a picture of he and Ginny holding hands as they strolled around Diagon Alley.

Hermione felt her breath catch as she read over the article. The article had said that the couple united because of the recent events between their old significant others and found a spark every time they were together. Hermione wasn't stupid. She knew what this meant. Harry was finally moving on. He had purged Hermione from his life and found love with another girl. He was over their passing fancy. He moved on.

And Hermione, with tears dripping down her face, was tempted to ask how he did it.

~*~*~

Colin Higgins wasn't a dense boy. He knew something was wrong with his friend and he was determined to find out.

"Hermione, are you all right?" He asked concernedly.

The brown-haired witch snapped her head up. "Oh, yes. I'm quite alright."

Colin, however, wasn't so sure that she was. They were seated in the café in a cozy corner booth. The young man was telling her about how one of his teachers had gotten a spell wrong and ended hurting himself, so he had to take over the class. Hermione, however, tuned him out halfway through his story and had begun to stare into her black coffee, which was left cold and not drunk from. It had been two weeks since she'd found out about Harry and Ginny.

"Is something the matter?" Colin asked.

Hermione shook her head. "No. Everything's fine."

"I'm leaving soon, you know. We should go to the station," Colin said, giving her a kind smile.

The brunette had a stricken look on her face. "So soon? I thought your departure was at four."

Colin chuckled and said, "It _is_ almost four."

Hermione glanced at her wristwatch and laughed uneasily, "So it is."

"I won't be long soon. Besides, you've got Meg and your mum to keep you company. I'm sure you wouldn't miss someone as boring as me,"

"That's not true," she replied, shaking her head frantically. "I'll miss you, Colin. You've been really helpful to me these past few weeks; coming with me to appointments, making sure I eat right, keeping me company even when I get my mood swings—"

He smiled brightly. "It's not even a problem, Hermione. I'm your friend, and I'd do anything for you."

The witch's lip trembled as tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry, I cry at the drop of a hat these days." Finally, she choked back a heavy sob and threw her arms around Colin. "I'm going to miss you so much,"

"I'm going to miss you too. But it's only going to be for a few weeks. I'll be back before you know it." Colin was one of the few chosen to go to Manchester to help teach there for free. It was part of the new Minister's plans. He wanted all the children to have education.

After Hermione had dropped Colin off at the train station, everything else happened in a blur. So she had decided to go home but found herself walking into a small café where she hoped no one knew who she was. And as she entered, the first thing she saw was a couple kissing.

Her breath caught in her throat as she realized who it was. She looked around frantically, trying to find somewhere to escape. If she stayed longer, she might burst. She might pull the redhead by her hair away from Harry. But she couldn't risk that. Blindly, she ran out of the crowded café and out into the busy streets. In all her haste, she hadn't noticed the little detail of green witching to red. She ran across the street as fast as she could.

But she wasn't fast enough.

There was bang on her left, soon on her right. And then horns sounded off as she tried to get across the road.

And then.

There was a sharp pain that shot through the side of her stomach. The pain spread throughout her entire body as she numbly crumpled to the ground.

_I'm going to die_, she thought. And it was with this thought that the sound of honking cars and frantic yells for an ambulance faded as everything went white.

~*~*~


	9. Everything Will Be Alright

Chapter Nine: Everything Will Be Alright

_Tell me, tell me, again will it ever end,  
Nothing seems to come out right,  
It doesn't come out right._

– JET, _Everything Will Be Alright_

Harry sighed again as he read another picture of he and Ginny in _The Daily Prophet_. He couldn't even remember how it happened. One minute he's dying on the kitchen floor over Hermione, the next minute he's holding hands with Ginny in Hyde Park.

And even though Harry supposedly moved on, his mind often strayed to Hermione and how she was holding up. He sighed once more and crumpled the newspaper, throwing it into the rubbish bin. _I wonder if Hermione's seen the articles_, he thought sullenly. _Don't be daft. Of course, she's seen them,_ a snarky voice told him.

He threw on his jacket, having the intention of heading for the Ministry. He was having Auror training soon. When he opened the door, he was face to face with a grinning Ginny. "Morning, Harry." She chirped, pushing herself into his flat.

"Er—morning, Gin. Um, what're you doing here exactly?"

"Breakfast, silly. I've decided to come over every morning and bring you breakfast since I know you never eat any at all," she teased, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

"I've got Auror practice in a few minutes, Gin," Harry replied trying to mask his impatience.

"Well, you can eat for just a while, can't you?" She pouted.

Harry sighed in annoyance. "Ginny, I've really got to go."

"If I were Hermione, you'd stay," she snapped angrily.

"Hermione _lived_ with me. It's different." Harry didn't feel like going through this now. It was almost time for Auror training, and Ginny was being a tad… clingy. And it was thoroughly annoying him.

When she didn't respond, he turned back to the door. And without a word, he left the house.

~*~*~

Luna was anxious, and she had no idea why. There was an uneasy feeling welling up within her and she felt as if she was going to know why pretty soon. She bounced her leg nervously as she glanced around her large living room in the house she shared with her fiancé. She could hear him from the kitchen, swearing and cussing the cooking utensils. She smiled a small smile as she remembered how he wanted to be the one to cook dinner as a thank you for saying yes to his proposal.

"Ron?" She asked, bouncing her leg even more nervously.

"Yeah?" He called back. He poked his head out from the kitchen, worried at her nervous tone of voice. "Everything alright?"

"Mmm-hmm," she replied, smiling at him.

He eyed her suspiciously. "If you're sure. I'm taking a while longer than expected. Why don't you watch some telly?"

Luna nodded and let out a sigh of relief as he went back into the kitchen. With another nervous sigh, she turned on her television, and watched as the news channel blinked to life.

"_...it was clarified that the incident was _not_ intentional,_" reported the lady. "_The lady apparently rushed across the street as the light switched from red to green._"

"_It wasn't intentional, I swear,_" said another lady quite fearfully. Luna assumed that that must've been the lady who hit the victim of the car accident.

"_What about the young lady?_" The reporter asked the driver. "_Is she going to be alright?_"

"_I honestly don't know. She was taken to the nearest hospital as fast as possible._"

"_The witnesses reported she was pregnant, is that true?_"

The lady driver looked even more nervous. "_Yes, but I didn't notice until I left my car to check on her. The doctors said she was about six to seven months pregnant._"

"_And you claim you didn't see her as you continued to drive?_"

"_Yes. She suddenly dashed across the street just as I pressed the accelerator._"

"_And here is a close-up video on the what happened after the accident here in Sheffield—_" Luna's mind tuned out the rest of the report. She was thinking. Counting with her fingers, she realized Hermione was pregnant about the same months from what her mother had told her. And Sheffield. Wasn't that where Hermione was living? Luna shook her head, warding away the ridiculous thought. Hermione wouldn't be so reckless… could she?

Luna looked up to the television again to see it fuzzy. "_It appears that there are some technical difficulties with the video,_" said the reporter. "_Wait just moment—ah, there. The video seems to be playing properly—_"

"What are you watching?" Ron asked, plopping down onto the seat beside here.

"Um, Ron," Luna began, not taking her eyes away from the television, "what happened to dinner?"

"I'm waiting for it to cool a bit. Are you watching the news?" Ron asked.

"Yes. Sorry, Ron, but could you please be a bit—?"

But it was too late, Ron had grabbed the remote and switched it to a channel featuring some Muggle football. "Ah, something decent at last."

Luna gaped at him. "_Ronald_, I was watching something."

"Sorry, love, I just need to see West Ham play. You know, Dean's never shut up about them while we were practicing. I've decided to see what makes them so great,"

The blonde sighed. She just hoped her assumptions were wrong.

~*~*~

Harry and Ginny were enjoying a nice night in. Well, Ginny was enjoying it. Harry was hoping she could just eat dinner and then leave. He was sitting in front of the television while Ginny was preparing dinner. He cracked his neck a bit. Training had been hell that day. In fact, the whole day was horrible. Ginny refused to leave his flat the whole day, so when Harry entered his bedroom, he found Ginny clad in small lingerie, striking a pose that he thought was supposed to look attractive. (How was it that whenever he saw Hermione in regular clothes, it managed to arouse him, but when he saw Ginny in little clothing it made him feel rather disturbed?) It took him a while, but he finally managed to explain that he wasn't ready to get so close with anyone just yet. After all, it had not even been a year since he had broken up with Hermione. He was actually starting to wonder if dating Ginny was the right decision.

He shook his head, telling himself it was for the best. He was casually flipping to the channels when he came across the news. Normally, he wouldn't have cared even a jot for the local news, but something seemed to have grabbed his ears and made him listen. But that wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him was the word he caught. It wasn't a thing, per se. It was more of a place. Sheffield. It was then he realized why he caught it. Hermione was living there.

He watched the news in anxiety. The accident, the lady; it all seemed to click into place. But it couldn't be—he laughed at the absurdity of it all. Hermione wasn't even pregnant. He decided to continue watching anyway. Just as they were about to show the video, Ginny grabbed the remote and switched it off. "Time for dinner," she said, pecking his check.

Harry sighed and wiped his cheek. Ginny always wore lipstick and he hated it when it stuck to his check. He was starting to consider if putting up with Ginny would even be worth it.

~*~*~

The first thing Hermione saw when she opened her eyes was a bright fluorescent light shining above her. And the first thing she felt was the sudden emptiness within her. She sat up, and the next thing she noticed was her flat stomach. She looked frantically around, hoping to see an explanation. As if on cue, a doctor entered, looking at her with a gentle smile.

"Ms. Granger, I'm glad you're finally awake," he said with a kind smile at her.

"Where am I? What happened?" Hermione demanded in a slightly bossy tone.

"You're in Northern General Hospital. You had accident a few streets away from here."

"And my—"

The doctor's grave look made her stop in the middle of her question. She suddenly felt her chest tighten and her stomach drop. "You were hit at the side of your stomach, Ms. Granger. You're lucky the baby wasn't seriously harmed. You're even luckier that _you_ weren't harmed seriously."

"But he—he's going to be fine, right?"

The doctor sighed and sat at the side of her bed. "Ms. Granger, you must understand. For the baby to be saved, he had to come out. He would never survive inside your body while your vital organs were still healing. So he was taken out prematurely. We—we're not sure if he'll survive."

Hermione felt tears well up in her eyes and looked ashamedly to her lap.

"If you've got anyone in charge of you—"

"My mum's out of town on a business trip to Leeds," Hermione said.

"What about your husband?"

"Er—I don't have one,"

"I see,"

Hermione finally released a sob. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about. In fact, it's the one who left you who should be feeling sorry. I've had dozens of patients like you, but so far, you're the only one who could admit they didn't have a husband," said the doctor. "I'll be back in a few moments after I check on the baby."

Without another word, he briskly left the room. And feeling alone and miserable, Hermione started to sob.

~*~*~

Hermione lay on her side, trying to will herself to go back to sleep. She had woken up at eight in the morning. She was still in the hospital, since her doctor, Dr. Morgan, had wanted her to stay for a few days for observation. She glanced at her wall clock. It was already nine thirty-seven; she doubted she could go back to sleep if she had already been awake for half an hour.

Hermione didn't want to stay awake. When she was awake, she thought about things. She thought about her baby, what she would do if he died. She thought about how Luna would react when she found out, how her mum would respond. And finally, she would often wonder how Harry would take it in. Would he be mad that he hadn't told her about her pregnancy? How would he react if he realized that the baby was his?

Her thoughts were interrupted, however, when she heard the door click open. All thoughts and hopes of it being Harry were crushed when she heard, "Granger?"

She twisted around and simply stared at the platinum blonde man closing the door behind him. "D-Draco? What on earth are you doing here?" She asked, sitting up and looking at him properly.

"I came to see you," he said simply. He sat on the empty seat beside her bed and took her hand in his.

"But—but how?" Hermione asked, gaping at him. She hadn't thought that anybody knew about the accident.

"It was in the news," He said.

Hermione was quiet. If Draco had seen the news that must've meant Harry could've seen it as well. If he had, why hadn't he come to see her? Unless… he honestly stopped caring about her and finally moved on. Her stomach lurched violently and her chest tightened. Had he stopped caring about her?

"I take it Harry hasn't visited?" Draco asked softly.

She nodded. "It doesn't matter though, he's probably busy with Gin—" she stopped herself and drew in a gasp. "Draco, I'm—"

"It's alright. Ginny—well, I understand why she got with Potter. Probably to get back at me," He sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Listen, Gra—Hermione, I'm really sorry about what I did. I don't know what came over me. I guess I just wanted you because you were one of the girls that didn't fawn over me. Gin, well, she was like that at first. And she eventually grew used to me. I guess I got a bit bored. I'm really sorry, Hermione. I'm sorry about what I've done to Harry and you,"

Hermione smiled and squeezed his hand comfortingly. "It's quite alright, Draco. I—it was more of my fault for allowing you."

Draco opened his mouth to reply when the door opened and Dr. Morgan stepped in, looking over his clipboard. "Ms. Granger, I'm sorry, but—" He stopped talking as he looked up and saw Draco. He narrowed his eyes dangerously. "And who is this young man?"

The blond stood up and extended his hand. "I'm Draco Malfoy."

"You're not the bloke that got her pregnant and then finally decided to come back, are you?"

"No, absolutely not," Draco replied. "I love Hermione like a sister."

Dr. Morgan eyes him and then went back to Hermione. "There's good news and bad news, Ms. Granger. Which would you like to hear first?"

"Um, the good news, I guess." Hermione replied, afraid of the solemn look on her doctor's face.

"The good news is that you can leave today. We're going to discharge you in a few hours."

"That's great," Hermione said. She'd grown sick of the plain white walls.

"But it's about James."

"W-what about him?"

"As you know, he was born prematurely. His body systems weren't very strong from the beginning. We've been trying to help him, maybe try to strengthen his vital organs. But we're not miracle workers, Hermione. James—he passed away."

Hermione felt numb. Everything around her seemed to stop for a while. And suddenly, her chest tightened, her stomach churned, making her feel rather queasy. She felt as if a knife had been stabbed into her chest and was turning it slowly. She felt Draco take her hand, and squeeze it. And it was when Dr. Morgan left did she break down.

Draco quickly enveloped her into a tight embrace, stroking her hair as she sobbed and sobbed. And it was with uncertainty that Draco whispered softly into her ear, "Everything will be alright."

~*~*~

"Gin—"

"Come on, Harry. I'm ready for taking the next step, and so are you. I know you especially because you've done this before."

Harry pulled Ginny's hands from his shoulders. "Ginny, when I say stop, I mean to seriously stop it," He said, stepping away from her.

Ginny dropped her hands and they hung limply from her arms. "I don't understand."

"It's simple. I already told you. It's over."

"Why? Everything—everything was going so well."

"No, it wasn't. You were blind. Ginny, neither of us can move on. And I think you know why. It was in the most unfortunate way that I realized I can't move on."

Ginny wiped her eyes, only then realizing that her eyes were wet with tears. "So what are you going to do?"

Harry smiled at the mere thought of her, and his eyes twinkled with a sense of happiness Ginny hadn't seen throughout their short relationship. "I'm going to find her."

~*~*~

Harry woke up to the sound of banging on his front door. He pushed his covers off and pulled his glasses over his face. He tugged on a jumper, as it was rather chilly that morning. The person, whoever it was, seemed rather persistent and in a hurry, for he continuously banged on it nonstop after a while.

The bespectacled man grumbled and threw the door open. Before he could react though, Draco stepped in, looking agitated and a bit worried. "Harry, mate, something's come up," said the blond, pacing now.

Harry rubbed one eye. "What happened?" He asked.

Draco stopped pacing and stared long and hard at his friend.

The black haired man was rather taken aback with his look. Draco actually looked rather… scared. "Draco, what's happened?" Harry asked.

"It—it's about Hermione."

~*~*~

Hermione lay down in her bed as tears dripped down her face. Her mother was still away, and Hermione feared sending her a letter about the past few days because she might leave her business trip. She didn't want to bother her mother with something so stupid.

That word echoed throughout her mind. _That's right_, her mind told her. _You're stupid. You took your relationship with Harry for granted. You were careless with your baby._

Hermione started to cry even more. The one thing—the _one_ thing she had of Harry was greedily taken away from her. Now she had nothing. She didn't have her baby. She didn't have any friends. She didn't have Harry. She lost everyone and everything she had because she was a coward. She left everything good in her life in the past. She didn't think once to bring any of them with her.

And now, with her chest tight and her sobs coming out louder and more desperate than before, Hermione felt miserable and hopeless. She never felt any feeling like this before. And her professors at her university had been very nice and welcoming. When they found out about her pregnancy and the accident, they let her graduate early and receive her license. They had even given her a starting job at a pre-school for children so she could experience parenting of some sort and put her college course to use.

Hermione felt alone. She wanted to be left alone yet wanted to have someone with her. Then for one moment, her chest seized her breath so tightly, she couldn't breath, and she felt the familiar pang of longing for a certain black-haired wizard resound throughout her body.

Then she heard a banging on the door. The knocking sounded urgent. Hermione paid no heed to it. She didn't want to see anyone. She _couldn't_ see anyone. Not in the state she was. She cast a silencing charm around her room, trying to block out the annoying incessant banging. She hoped that perhaps the person would give up if she didn't answer.

And then her bedroom door flung open and standing there, looking worried yet relieved, was Harry.

~*~*

**A/N: Yes, I know. We're horrible. But we couldn't help this cliffhanger! Next chapter/epilogue should be up maybe the week after next, IF there are enough reviews. If not, well, we'll just see. :)**


	10. Plastic Hearts

**A/N: We're really sorry for the extremely late update. Even though we were released from school two weeks ago, a lot of stuff happened in between. We were sort of at a writer's block for the longest time. And just last week my (marionettedoll95) sister was admitted in to the hospital for viral encephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain. A lot of my time was spent at the hospital with her, where there was unfortunately no wifi, so I couldn't reply to most of the messages you sent us. And CheshireCat85 went on a family vacation just yesterday around the country, so this is a bit rushed. We hope you guys understand and enjoy the last chapter!**

Chapter Ten: Plastic Hearts

_La, la, la, la, la  
Keep it on  
Melt my plastic heart  
And help me move on.  
Why can't I move on?_

– Dirty Pretty Things, _Plastic Hearts_

"_It's—it's about Hermione._"

_Harry felt his stomach drop. He frowned. "What about her? Is she alright?" When Draco didn't reply, Harry took his friends shoulders and shook him. "_What happened to Hermione?_" He asked, looking Draco in the eye._

_With a sigh, Draco replied, "She got into an accident."_

"_Is she—she's alright, isn't she?" Harry asked, his chest tightening._

"_I don't know. I had to leave. Wood called me for an emergency. I had no idea why though, I got to the pitch and no one was there," Draco explained. "I told her I'd stay with her, or at least bring her home, but she wouldn't hear of it. I've never seen her so… miserable."_

"_I need to see her," Harry decided, slipping his jacket on._

"_Wait," Draco interjected. "What happened to Gin?"_

"_Ginny? Oh, she left a long while ago. You can see if she's home," Harry replied offhandedly._

"_Oh, good." And without another word, Draco left the flat._

~*~*~

Hermione was sure she was insane. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Maybe she finally snapped from all the stress she had been receiving the past few weeks. Anything would have been a better explanation than trying to convince her mind that he was real, that he had come back because he cared for her, that he had forgiven her.

"Hermione," Harry croaked, sounding thoroughly relieved. He took a few strides until he was right in front of her bed, by her side. "Hermione, thank God, you're here."

Hermione clutched the sheets around her tighter. If Harry came any closer— "Don't," she said as sternly as she could through her tears when he tried to move closer. "I can't—you shouldn't be here."

Harry looked confused. "What are you talking about? I'm where I'm supposed to be."

She shook her head and replied weakly, "I'm trying to keep myself from going mad. You shouldn't—you're not supposed to be here. It's—it's to painful to have you here."

"Hermione," Harry said, sitting on the edge of her bed, "why are you saying these things to me?"

"Don't. Please. I can't do this anymore," she whispered. "Harry—"

She was cut off when his lips pressed hers. He pulled back after a few seconds, wiping away her tears. "I've missed you."

"Harry," she warbled, stifling her sobs, "you're here. You're really here. It's really you." She pressed her face into his shoulder as more sobs racked her body.

For a moment, she squeezed Harry so tightly, he could only breathe her in and tell her, "It is, it really is, Hermione. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I left you."

Hermione pulled back and looked rather ashamed. "I don't deserve you. I lied to you. Harry, I'm so sorry. I don't deserve forgiveness. You—"

"You didn't deserve a lot of things I threw your way. But I can't move on, Hermione. I learned through the hardest way that I will never love anyone besides you. What I feel for you—it's never going to go away. It'd be like losing a part of myself."

Before he could even take in another breath, Hermione threw her arms around him and held him to her. Harry returned the tight embrace, stroking her back up and down. And they stayed like that for the longest time. They didn't kiss, nor did they talk.

And with their arms wrapped around one another and tears falling down from each of them, they only held on.

~*~*~

**Epilogue:**

Hermione smiled as she watched her kindergarten class scurry around her, looking for their snacks. She watched as a black-haired little boy struggled to open his pack of crackers. He glanced around for help and caught her gaze. Shyly, he gave her a crooked grin. Hermione beamed back at him and came towards him.

"Alright there, Gem?" She asked, smoothing his hair back.

"Yes, M—er, Miss Hermione," replied the young boy, trying to rip open the packet, only to have slip from his fingers.

Hermione laughed softly at the helpless look on his face. "Would you want me to help?"

"Yes, please," he replied in a genteel tone. He handed it over to here quietly, looking expectantly at the brown-haired teacher.

Hermione ripped the packet open with ease and handed it back to him. "There you go, Gem,"

"Thank you," he mumbled, embarrassed as some the other boy students laughed at him.

"Jeremy Finch," Hermione exclaimed at a brown-haired young man, who had started laughing at Gem, "I will not have you laughing at other classmates that way!"

"Sorry, Miss Hermione," the boy mumbled and he returned promptly back to his food.

Once their classes were over and the parents had retrieved their children, there were only three students left, including Gem. The other two, who were twins, were busily playing with the building blocks. Hermione had finished checking the tests and watched as Gem looked longingly at the two twins.

Hermione smiled as she came over and ruffled his hair. She picked him up and sat down, placing him on her lap. She flattened his hair and kissed his forehead. "What's wrong, Gem?" She asked, stroking the hair on the back of his head.

"I'm scared about Lily," he murmured, hugging the brunette.

She embraced him and kissed the top of his head. "She'll be alright—"

"Hey," a familiar voice said from behind, startling the both of them, "I thought favoritism wasn't allowed in school."

Hermione smiled at Harry, who was standing and grinning, holding a bouquet of wildflowers. It was her favorite kind of flower, and he always new whenever she needed them. "Are those for me?" She asked sweetly.

"No, I brought them for my favorite little boy, Gem," Harry retorted with a roll of his eyes.

She set Gem down on the floor gently and pulled at Harry's tie, meeting his lips for a kiss. "Those are for me, aren't they?" She whispered, her lips centimeters away from his.

"Yes," Harry breathed pulling her closer.

At the last minute, Hermione snatched the bouquet from him and turned away from Harry. "These will look lovely in the living room," She murmured, sniffing at their sweet scent.

Harry scowled. "You're a bloody tease,"

"Hush, no swearing in front of the children."

"Are the twins still here?" He asked, glancing around the room. He spotted the two redheaded twins destroying the towers of blocks they made.

"Hey Nicolas, Vincent, where's your father?" He asked, tousling their hair.

"He's at practice. Mum's at the Quibbler, working on the newest article about Cornish pixies," they replied.

Harry opened his mouth to say something but Hermione interrupted, "Harry, how's Lily? I've been meaning to see her, but I just haven't found the time. And with summer approaching—"

"Lily's going to be alright. The Healers said she was going to be just fine. I thought I already told you that."

"I know," Hermione said, chewing on her bottom lip. "I just can't help but worry."

Harry pulled her in for a kiss when he felt someone tug on his pants leg. Gem James Potter was staring up at him with wide brown eyes. "Can we visit Lily today?"

"Of course, Gem. We'll even eat dinner with her, if you'd like that," Harry said, ruffling his son's hair.

Harry Potter had been an official Auror for five years. He and Hermione had been married for four years. And his son, Gem, had been with him for three. Once they had gotten past the emotional strain and Harry finished Auror training, he had asked Hermione to marry him, to which she enthusiastically said yes. They had Gem a year after, and Lily a year after that.

Hermione was teaching at a local Muggle kindergarten school near Harry's flat, where she had moved back into. Her mother had remained in Sheffield, much to Hermione's dismay. But life in Sheffield was where she had wanted to stay.

Just recently, Lily had caught a high fever, which endangered her life since her immune system wasn't quite strong yet. It caused distress within the small family, but she was pulling through.

"Hey, you lovebirds,"

Hermione turned while still in Harry's embrace and found Ron and Luna standing there.

"Ron, Luna, it's good to see you again," Hermione said, smiling at them.

"We're just here to pick up Vincent and Nicolas. We've got dinner at the Burrow," Ron informed, picking up Nicolas. "Fred and George's birthday, you know? These boys wouldn't miss it for the world. They're exact carbon copies of Fred and George."

Luna picked Vincent up and kissed his forehead. "How's Lily?" She asked, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear.

"She's getting better. Tell Molly our apologies for missing her dinner. And tell Fred and George we're sorry for missing out on their birthday," Harry replied, leaning his chin on Hermione's shoulder while wrapping his arms around her stomach from behind her.

Ron waved his hand dismissively. "They'll understand. Give Lily our regards, even if she doesn't understand yet."

Harry chuckled. "We'll tell her. See you, Ron, Luna."

Once they had left, Harry gave Hermione a soft kiss as she took Gem's hand. "We should go see Lily," he said quietly.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "The flowers would look lovelier in her room," she said, picking up the bouquet.

Harry glanced at the two most important people in his life. He couldn't believe how lucky he was.

Hermione noticed how behind he lagged and gave him a curious look. "Everything alright, Harry?"

He nodded. "Everything will be, at least. Let's go." Before he could stop himself, he stopped Hermione and pulled her in for a passionate kiss, all while Gem avoided looking. (He hated it when his parents started getting mushy.)

Hermione's brow furrowed and she had that I'll-Get-To-The-Bottom-Of-This face. "What was that for?"

"I can't kiss my beautiful wife now?" He teased, grinning impishly at her.

Hermione laughed. "Well, yes, you can. But it's still so out of the blue."

"No, it wasn't. You're delusional." He picked Gem up and grabbed Hermione's hand, placing a soft kiss on it. "Come on then, Lily's waiting."

~*~*~

**A/N: Please review and keep an eye out for our next story, which you, the readers, get to vote on. So far, we've only got 33 votes all in all. We're closing the poll in a few days, so please vote for the story you want next. Also, don't forget to leave a review! Feedback helps! :)**


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